July 7, 2009 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS, Vol. 155, Pt. 12 16965 I stand in support of this resolution because mund, Jr. and Nancy Angela. The young fam- introducing legislation to provide for a study to it is continuing to recognize the importance ily soon moved to a new development of Cape determine the feasibility and suitability of in- that black music has played in American cul- Cod homes on the outskirts of Paterson, cluding a segment of the Elk River as a com- ture. Many American made genres of music known as Colonial Village. Antoinette and Ed- ponent of the Wild and Scenic River System. such as jazz, blues, gospel, rock and roll, and mund lived there together until Edmund The Elk River is one of West Virginia’s pre- the rhythm and blues owe their existence to passed away on January 2, 2003, after sixty- mier natural resource assets. It is the longest the contribution of black musicians in the past. seven and a half years of marriage. She re- river in West Virginia with its boundaries en- Georgians such as Tenor Richard Hayes, born mained in their home until 2005 when she tirely within the State. The study which would in 1887 to former slaves, was one of the most moved to to live with Edmund, Jr. be authorized by this legislation, however, important African-American tenors performing and his wife Claire Elwood. Her daughter would focus only on that segment of the Elk in classical music during the first part of the Nancy lives in England with her husband where it begins at the confluence of two 20th century. Hayes was one of the highest George Dowden. streams—Old Field Fork and Big Spring paid musicians of his time breaking down Over the years, Antoinette has been Fork—at the community of Slatyfork and flows color barriers for other black classical per- blessed not only with her children, but with North for approximately five miles to the Poca- formers such as Paul Robeson, Leontyne seven grandchildren; Conrad, MaryBeth and hontas/Randolph County line. The study would Price, William Dawson, William Grant Still, and Michael Roncati, and TerriAnn, Edmund III, be conducted by the U.S. Forest Service. even Duke Ellington. As well as other native John and Brian Trifari. Now, she also has thir- The idea of preserving this river in its nat- Georgia artists like Ray Charles, one of the teen great-grandchildren; Conrad Maxwell, ural state is not something new. Indeed, I well main creators of ‘‘soul music’’, who is well Dean, Mia, Dylan, Carissa Roncati and Jes- recall conversations with one of West Vir- known for his unique version of ‘‘America the sica Bates, Abigaile, James, Ryan and Mi- ginia’s visionary conservationists, former State Beautiful’’. Charles’ rendition of ‘‘Georgia on chael Sands, Joshua, Nicholas and Tyler Senator Robert K. Holliday, on this matter dur- My Mind’’ was proclaimed the state song on Trifari. She is also the loving aunt of countless ing the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1989, April 24, 1979. nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grand- the Senate of West Virginia passed a resolu- This resolution aims to continue to stress nephews. tion calling for the development of the Elk the importance of recognizing June as Black She is well known throughout the Paterson River into a national recreation area by Fed- eral and State governments. And in 1993, I Music Month as it was formally declared in area for a business that she began. She made did propose a Wild and Scenic study for a 1979. Celebrating the phenomenal work of poodles out of commercial yarn; they were so 57.5 mile segment of the river. For one reason black composers, musicians, producers, writ- creative and lifelike that the yarn company or another, the enthusiasm over this endeavor ers, and singers during one month of the year featured a story about her in their corporate dissipated. is the least that we can do to pay tribute to magazine. She also continues crocheting, a The February 4, 2009, unanimous vote by contributions that they have made in shaping lifelong hobby she still enjoys. Antoinette also the Pocahontas County Commission con- the musical art forms that we enjoy today. has a passion for helping people and volun- sisting of President Martin V. Saffer, David M. Celebrating and observing the 30th anniver- teering. She was a member of St. Mary’s R.C. Fleming and Reta J. Griffith to request that a sary of June as ‘‘Black Music Month’’ is some- Church in Paterson her entire life until she study be conducted on a much smaller seg- thing that I encourage all Americans to do. I moved, and is a now a parishioner of Saint ment of the Elk River resurrects this issue and urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Peter Claver R.C. Church in West Hartford. makes it ripe for consideration. f Even into her nineties she was a volunteer at The ‘‘Slaty’’ segment of the Elk River that St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged in Totowa, TRIBUTE TO ANTOINETTE TRIFARI would be the subject of the study authorized NJ. She made many lasting friendships and by this bill, named in reference to the commu- touched many lives through her involvement nity of Slatyfork where the river begins, was HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR. with the Little Sisters of the Poor. When she described in a January 2009 letter written by OF NEW JERSEY moved in 2006 to Middlewoods Assisted Liv- local resident Tom Shipley to the Pocahontas IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ing Home in Farmington, Connecticut, she im- County Commission as follows: ‘‘History Tuesday, July 7, 2009 mediately became an active participant in abounds around, near and on the banks of the many of their programs. She is the assistant Elk River. She is, in a literal sense, very much Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I would to the pianist in the Choral Group, attends as she was back in the early 1800’s . . . one like to call to your attention the life of an out- Sunday outings visiting historic and cultural of the last rivers on the East Coast that has standing individual, Antoinette Trifari. She will points of interest around Connecticut, and is a three naturally reproducing species of wild mark her 100th birthday with a celebration, tutoring mentor for young children. She enjoys trout . . . Brook, Brown and Rainbow. As Big joined by family and friends, some of whom playing Scrabble with friends and playing soli- Spring Fork and Old Field merge, they form are traveling great distances to be part of this taire on the computer, and most of all, sharing an impressive gateway to the Upper Elk . . . happy occasion. her joy of life and her love with all those she a gift from God to Pocahontas County.’’ It is only fitting that she be honored in this, encounters. Indeed, the Slaty segment of the Elk River the permanent record of the greatest democ- The job of a United States Congressman in- is a superb fishery, and the West Virginia Divi- racy ever known, for she has brought so much volves much that is rewarding, yet nothing sion of Natural Resources does a good job in joy to the lives of others throughout her life- compares to celebrating and recognizing indi- the area. While what is being proposed is a time. viduals like Antoinette Trifari. study—not a designation—and while the Wild Antoinette is a native of the great City of Madam Speaker, I ask that you join our col- and Scenic Rivers Act is very clear that noth- Paterson, NJ. She was born there on July 9, leagues, Antoinette’s family and friends, every- ing in the statute ‘‘shall affect the jurisdiction 1909 to Angelina and John Pescatore, and one at St. Joseph’s Home in Totowa, New or responsibilities of the State with respect to was the fifth of fourteen children. She at- Jersey, all those who have been touched by fish and wildlife,’’ I am including in the legisla- tended Paterson schools, going first to School her, and me in recognizing Antoinette Trifari. tion being introduced today a reaffirmation that 19, then graduating from School 5. Then at f the mere act of studying this segment of the age fourteen, she began working, sewing Elk River will not change the status quo with pearls and sequins onto fabric that was used UPPER ELK RIVER WILD AND respect to State jurisdiction. for gowns. Antoinette soon went on to SCENIC STUDY ACT The legislation being introduced today work for more than ten years in Paterson’s states that nothing in the bill ‘‘shall be con- world famous silk and textile mills. HON. NICK J. RAHALL II strued as affecting access for recreational ac- Antoinette was married on June 9, 1935 to OF WEST VIRGINIA tivities otherwise allowed by law or regulation, Edmund Trifari, also of Paterson, who had at- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES including hunting, fishing, or trapping.’’ It fur- tended New Jersey Law School. The wedding ther states that nothing in the measure ‘‘shall was held at St. Anthony’s R.C. Church and Tuesday, July 7, 2009 be construed as affecting the authority, juris- was officiated by the groom’s brother, Rev- Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, at the re- diction, or responsibility of the State to man- erend Aloysius Trifari, a Salesian priest. Two quest of the Pocahontas County Commission age, control, or regulate fish and resident wild- years later, the Trifaris welcomed twins, Ed- of the great State of West Virginia, today I am life under State law or regulations, including

VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:12 Oct 21, 2011 Jkt 079102 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0689 Sfmt 9920 E:\BR09\E07JY9.000 E07JY9 wreier-aviles on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BOUND RECORD 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. Opera; the ; and the opera treasure and true American heroine, whose ar- ‘‘Dave Teets, my neighbor, gave a talk on riv- companies of Houston, Boston, 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 Connecticut. setts and the New School in New York City. ceiving entity is NAS JRB Fort Worth, in Fort

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