[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8856]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    TRIBUTE TO MADELEINE BERMAN AND HER LATE HUSBAND, MANDELL BERMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 7, 2017

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to two remarkable 
people from my home state of Michigan, Madeleine Berman and her late 
husband, Mandell Berman. The Bermans are being honored by the Detroit 
Symphony Orchestra (DSO) at its seventh annual Heroes Gala on June 10, 
2017 for their significant contributions to the DSO, which plays a 
vital role in the vibrant cultural fabric of Southeast Michigan.
  For many of us privileged with the long and warm personal friendship 
with Madge and Bill Berman, who passed away at the age of 99 last 
December, this Heroes Gala provides the opportunity to give thanks for 
the blessings of their generosity to the DSO, as well as a very broad 
range of community interests.
  In recognition of his leadership, Bill Berman was given the Russell 
G. Mawby Award by the Council of Michigan Foundations in 2012, and he 
was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Madge 
Berman has served two terms on the President's Committee for the Arts, 
to which she was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994 and 
reappointed by President Barack Obama in 2009, and received the 
national Legacy Award from Americans for the Arts, which she has served 
as a board member since 1989.
  Their passion for the arts and education truly came together in Bill 
and Madge's support for the DSO, particularly in their vision and 
support for its ``Live from Orchestra Hall: Classroom Edition'' 
program. Grounded in her background in music, communication and 
theater, Madge Berman wanted to find a way to use technology to help 
bring the experience of the orchestra to young people in Detroit who 
may otherwise not be exposed to it. She and Bill brought the idea to 
the leadership of the DSO, and ``Live from Orchestra Hall: Classroom 
Edition'' was born. This one of a kind webcast series aimed at youth is 
made available at no cost to every classroom in the Detroit Public 
Schools Community District, and students from throughout the United 
States and the world have experienced the beauty of orchestral music 
through its availability on the DSO's website. A Teacher's Resource 
Guide is also available on the website to enable educators to create 
lessons accompanying the concerts.
  With their devotion of time and financial resources, they have 
supported a wide array of organizations in the promotion of education, 
animal welfare, the arts, and hunger alleviation. Bill Berman was for 
nearly endless decades a uniquely inspirational force in the Jewish 
community. In education, he was cofounder of the Jewish Education 
Services of North America and funded the University of Michigan Hillel, 
which bears his name, as well as holding vital posts in a large number 
of Jewish organizations in Michigan and nationally. Combining their 
love of theater and Jewish education, Bill and Madge Berman founded the 
Berman Center for the Performing Arts at the Jewish Community Center in 
West Bloomfield, Michigan.
  As Mark Davidoff, chairman of the DSO's board of directors, told the 
Detroit Jewish News, ``What I learned from the Bermans is the art of 
stewardship. The manner in which they curated their financial and 
community commitments is a lesson for us all. They created a 
sustainable legacy in areas important to all of us, including community 
cohesion, education, and arts and culture.''
  When the Detroit Symphony Orchestra performs, from Beethoven to 
Gershwin, on Saturday, June 10 at the Heroes Concert and Gala, it will 
indeed be sounding fervent notes of tribute to two true heroes.

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