16966 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS, Vol. 155, Pt. 12 July 7, 2009 the regulation of hunting, fishing, and trap- In the early 1950s, Ms. Allen studied at Madam Speaker, HSA President and Chief ping.’’ Tanglewood, where chose Executive Officer Kakuna Kerina stated: ‘‘The In my view, most people associated with her to be the mezzo-soprano soloist in his impact Betty Allen has made as an artist and this segment of the Elk River want to keep it Symphony No. 1 (‘‘Jeremiah’’); she was later arts educator is measured in the tens of thou- the way it is. As Mr. Shipley wrote, the river a frequent soloist with Mr. Bernstein and the sands of lives she influenced in their youth. is ‘‘a gift of God to Pocahontas County’’ and . Betty made her New She was unique in that the standards she ap- I would add, to the State of West Virginia and York recital debut at Town Hall in 1958 in a plied to herself were the same as the stand- the Nation as a whole. program that included Brahms and Faure´. ards she expected of others, and we are bet- In his book entitled ‘‘Upper River, Elk’s Ori- Elizabeth ‘‘Betty Lou’’ Allen was part of the ter for it. We extend our condolences to Ms. gins and Beyond,’’ Skip Johnson, a long time first great wave of African-American singers to Allen’s family and thank them for sharing her outdoor columnist and reporter for the appear on the world’s premier stages in the with a vast community of admirers throughout Charleston Gazette, concisely summed up the postwar years. Active from the 1950s to the the world.’’ essence of our relationship with rivers. ‘‘Rivers 1970s, she performed with the New York City Elizabeth ‘‘Betty Lou’’ Allen is a national like Elk touch us in a spiritual way,’’ he wrote. ; the ; and the opera treasure and true American heroine, whose ar- ‘‘Dave Teets, my neighbor, gave a talk on riv- companies of Houston, , San Fran- tistic talents expanded the boundaries for so ers at our 2004 church picnic. He said that riv- cisco, and Santa Fe. In 1954 Ms. Allen made many African American children to achieve to ers are important in the Bible, important to our her City Opera debut as Queenie in ‘‘Show be the best in any genre they choose to ex- soul and mind, and important to God. They Boat,’’ by Jerome Kern and in 1964, she made plore. May God bless all of us for the life of also provide recreation, transportation, and her formal Opera debut at the Teatro Colon in our American mezzo-soprano, Betty Allen. natural boundaries. Then he made a less pro- , Argentina, followed by count- f found but equally important point: ‘Who hasn’t less appearances worldwide. EARMARK DECLARATION spent at least a part of a day just watching a Betty Allen sang the role of Begonia in the river roll on?’ ’’ City Opera production of Hans Werner I could not agree more. Henze’s comic opera ‘‘The Young Lord,’’ con- HON. JO ANN EMERSON OF MISSOURI f ducted by Sarah Caldwell in 1973. In review- ing the production of ‘‘The Young Lord,’’ New IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF ELIZ- York Times’ Harold C. Schonberg wrote of Ms. Tuesday, July 7, 2009 ABETH LOUISE ALLEN, AN Allen’s on-stage performance: ‘‘When she was Mrs. EMERSON. Madam Speaker, pursuant AMERICAN MEZZO-SOPRANO AND onstage everything came to life, and every- HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS’ to the House Republican standards on ear- thing around her was dimmed.’’ marks, I am submitting the following informa- PRESIDENT EMERITUS Ms. Allen, who also toured as a recitalist, tion in regards to H.R. 2996, the Fiscal Year was known for her close association with the 2010 Interior, Environment, and Related Agen- HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL American composers , Ned cies Appropriations Bill. OF NEW YORK Rorem and . At her death, she Project Name: City of East Prairie, Missouri IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES was on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Stormwater and Sewer Infrastructure Tuesday, July 7, 2009 Music, where she had taught since 1969. She Bill Number: H.R. 2996 was also the president emeritus and a former Account: STAG Water and Wastewater In- Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today executive director of the Harlem School of the in memoriam of my dear friend Elizabeth Lou- frastructure Project Arts. Requesting Entity: City of East Prairie, Mis- ise Allen, who departed this life peacefully on With the Met, Ms. Allen sang the role of Monday, June 22, 2009. Known to all of us as, souri Comme`re in Mr. Thomson’s ‘‘Four Saints in Address of Requesting Entity: 219 N. Wash- Betty Lou Allen, she had been a guiding force Three Acts’’ in 1973; she later participated in at The Harlem School of the Arts since she ington St., East Prairie, Missouri, 63845–1141 the first complete recording of the work. Else- Description of Request: Provide an earmark became Executive Director, and eventually where, her roles included Teresa in ‘‘La in the amount of $200,000 to rebuild East President after Dorothy Maynor, the school’s Sonnambula,’’ by Bellini; Jocasta in Prairie, Missouri’s wastewater and storm water founder, retired in 1979. Stravinsky’s ‘‘Oedipus Rex’’; Monisha in Scott Betty Lou was born on March 17, 1927, in infrastructure. The existing 84-year-old water Joplin’s ‘‘’’; and Mistress Quickly infrastructure is crumbling under the streets Campbell, Ohio, near Youngstown. Her father in Verdi’s ‘‘.’’ worked in the steel mills; her mother had a due to sinkholes which have plagued the com- Betty Allen has brought so much joy to munity. The sinkholes are destroying box cul- thriving business taking in laundry. Betty grew many audiences of all ages and diversity with up in a neighborhood which was mostly made verts, which is posing a threat to streets and her beautiful voice. She has long been com- houses in East Prairie. The money procured up of Sicilian and Greek families, and where mitted to nurturing young artists across all dis- she was introduced to the opera and its will pay for the construction of new stormwater ciplines and opening doors for so many Afri- sewers. A minimum of 45% of the total project music. From the neighbors’ windows, she can American children who would have never could hear the broadcasts from the Metropoli- cost will come directly from the City of East had the opportunity exploit their talents. Prairie, Missouri. tan Opera house every Saturday from their ra- From 1979 to 1992 she served as Executive dios. Director and President to her beloved Harlem f Betty lost her mother to lung cancer when School of the Arts. Upon her retirement she EARMARK DECLARATION she was 12 years old. After many turbulent stayed on as President Emeritus. While HSA years, that began with her father, and later in was born of the commitment and ideals of its HON. KAY GRANGER foster homes, where she was treated badly founder, it was Betty Allen who strengthened OF TEXAS and unfairly, Betty moved into the Youngstown the foundation of the vibrant and inspiring in- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Y.W.C.A. when she was 16 years old. She stitution that it is today. HSA honored Betty Tuesday, July 7, 2009 supported herself cleaning houses, excelled in Allen with the inaugural Betty Allen Lifetime Latin and German languages in high school, Achievement Award at the Art is Life Gala on Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, pursuant and entered Wilberforce College in Wilber- Monday, March 9, 2008, and graced her pres- to the Republican Leadership standards on force, Ohio, on a scholarship (A historically ence at this year’s benefit. earmarks, I, KAY GRANGER, submit the fol- black institution, it is now Wilberforce Univer- In addition to her many years as a leader lowing information regarding earmarks I re- sity). and master teacher with HSA, Ms. Allen has ceived as part of H.R. 3082, Military Construc- At Wilberforce, Ms. Allen met Theodor also taught at the North Carolina School of tion and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act Heimann, a former Berlin Opera tenor who Arts, the Manhattan School of Music, and the for fiscal year 2010. For the project titled ‘‘Re- taught German and voice there and encour- Curtis institute of Music in Philadelphia. She place Joint Base Communications Building,’’ aged her to sing. Soprano was also holds Honorary Doctorates from which received $6,170,000 in H.R. 3082, in also a classmate at Wilberforce. Betty went on , Union College, Adelphi the Navy Reserve Military Construction ac- to earn a scholarship to what was then the University, and Clark University in Massachu- count, the legal name and address of the re- Hartford School of Music in . setts and the New School in New York City. ceiving entity is NAS JRB Fort Worth, in Fort

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