[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17763]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO PERRYNE THOMPSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 2003

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Perryne Thompson 
of Detroit for her 30 years of service to the Detroit Public School 
system.
  Mrs. Perryne Thompson began teaching in the Detroit Public School 
system over 30 years ago. For the last 20 years, she worked at Miller 
Middle School as the physical education and dance teacher. 
Additionally, for over five years, she served as a choreographer, 
administrator, and eventually director of the All City Middle School 
Dance Company.
  As a Detroit Public School Teacher and while working with the All 
City Dance Company, she trained over 5,000 students in the art of tap, 
modern, and African dance. Mrs. Thompson exposed them to the roots of 
African and African-American culture through the art of dance by 
utilizing techniques such as those developed by Katherine Dunham.
  She often spent long days and nights in preparation for both Miller 
Middle School and All City Dance concerts, which involved not only 
choreographing the events and teaching students how to become 
performers, but also selling candy to purchase fabric for costumes she 
made for her students.
  Her tireless dedication to transmitting her knowledge of the art of 
dance and emphasis on hard work, diligence, and excellence lead a 
number of her students to pursue majors in dance in college and to join 
professional dance companies.
  Mrs. Thompson is also the mother of Mischa Thompson, who is currently 
a congressional fellow in Representative Charles Rangel's office and 
recently completed her Doctorate degree at the University of Michigan.
  Detroit is privileged to have had such a dedicated member of the 
teaching profession for so many years. I ask that my colleagues join me 
in honoring Mrs. Perryne Thompson for her selfless dedication and 
service to the youth of Detroit through her role as a Detroit Public 
School Teacher.

                          ____________________