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“TRIBUTE TO DR. JOHN EDWARD HASSE” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E930 on June 29, 2017.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO DR. JOHN EDWARD HASSE
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HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.
of michigan
in the house of representatives
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer congratulations to Dr. John Edward Hasse on his retirement as Curator of Music at the National Museum of American History, a position he has served in since 1984.
Dr. Hasse is a recognized leader in the field of jazz scholarship and education, distinguishing himself through publications, programming, lectures, and public service. Most notably, Dr. Hasse conceived and founded Jazz Appreciation Month, which was endorsed by the U.S. Congress in 2003. Today, Jazz Appreciation Month is celebrated each April in all 50 states and in over forty other countries.
Dr. Hasse also worked with me to found the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the jazz-ensemble-in-residence at the National Museum of American History, now in its 26th year of domestic concerts and international tours for the U.S. State Department.
In addition to his work at the Smithsonian, Dr. Hasse is an accomplished writer, contributing chapters to a number of books and articles in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, eight academic journals, and eight encyclopedias. He has lectured on music, the arts, and leadership in 20 countries on six continents, advancing cultural diplomacy, often on behalf of the U.S. State Department. He has served on a number of boards, including the federal New Orleans Jazz Commission, the board of the International Association for Jazz Education, and as a founding member of the Jazz Educators Network. He has been a consultant with the U.S. Postal Service, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and UNESCO.
Dr. Hasse earned a B.A. cum laude from Carleton College, M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Indiana University, and a Certificate in Business Administration from The Wharton School. His honors include appointment as Herb Alpert Scholar-in-Residence at the Berklee College of Music, two ASCAP-Deems Taylor Awards for excellence in writing about music, two Grammy Award nominations, and two honorary doctorates.
Mr. Speaker, I offer my sincerest thanks to John for many years of friendship, and I know I speak for the entire Smithsonian Institute when I say Dr. Hasse will be sorely missed in his current capacity at the Smithsonian. However, if there is one thing I know about John, it is that he will never be far from the musical community he has fostered for the past few decades. We cannot thank him enough for the many years of service he has offered, and we look forward to seeing what the next stage of life holds for him.
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