IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 719 

Honoring the life and legacy of Wendy Wasserstein. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 9, 2006 

Mr. NADLER (for himself, Mrs. MALONEY, Mrs. LOWEY, Mrs. MCCARTHY, 

Mr. ENGEL, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. SHAYS, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. MCGOVERN, 

Mr. HOLT, and Mr. GRIJALVA) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Government Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and legacy of Wendy Wasserstein. 

Whereas Wendy Wasserstein was born on October 18, 1950, 

in Brooklyn, New York; 

Whereas, at age 12, Wasserstein moved to Manhattan with 

her family, where her mother regularly took her to see 

Broadway plays; 

Whereas Wasserstein earned a B.A. degree in history from 

Mount Holyoke College in 1971, an M.A. degree in creative writing from the City College of New York, and an 

M.F.A. degree from the Yale School of Drama in 1976; 

Whereas Wasserstein’s graduate thesis at Yale, ‘‘Uncommon 

Women and Others’’, a play about her experiences as a 

student at Mount Holyoke College, was produced offVerDate Aug 31 2005 00:35 Mar 10, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR719.IH HR719

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•HRES 719 IH 

Broadway in 1977 with Glenn Close, Jill Eikenberry, and 

Swoosie Kurtz starring in the lead roles, and was subsequently produced for PBS starring Meryl Streep; 

Whereas in 1983, Wasserstein wrote ‘‘Isn’t It Romantic?’’, a 

story about an up-and-coming career woman who struggles to reconcile her ambition with the pressure to start 

a family; 

Whereas ‘‘The Heidi Chronicles’’, an examination of the 

women’s movement over the course of 20 years, starred 

Joan Allen in the title role, and was performed on Broadway some 622 times, subsequently going on to a nationwide tour; 

Whereas in 1989, ‘‘The Heidi Chronicles’’ won Wasserstein 

the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama 

Critics Circle Award for Best Play, the Drama Desk 

Award for Outstanding New Play, and the Pulitzer Prize 

for Drama; 

Whereas in 1993, Wasserstein’s ‘‘The Sisters Rosensweig’’ 

was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play and the 

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play; 

Whereas in 1997, Wasserstein wrote ‘‘An American Daughter’’, which focuses on the political downfall of a female 

candidate for Surgeon General, and was produced offBroadway starring Kate Nelligan; 

Whereas ‘‘Old Money’’, Wasserstein’s look at the morals of 

wealthy society at the beginning and the end of the 20th 

century, was produced off-Broadway in 2000; 

Whereas ‘‘Third’’, an examination of a clash of political values starring Dianne Wiest, was produced off-Broadway 

to critical acclaim in 2005; 


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•HRES 719 IH 

Whereas in 1988, Wasserstein also made a foray into film 

with ‘‘The Object of My Affection’’, starring Jennifer 

Aniston and Paul Rudd; 

Whereas Wasserstein was also the author of the best-selling 

children’s book ‘‘Pamela’s First Musical’’, published in 

1996 and currently being adapted into a musical; 

Whereas Wasserstein also wrote two collections of personal 

essays: ‘‘Bachelor Girls’’, published in 1990, and ‘‘Shiksa 

Goddess: Or, How I Spent My Forties’’, published in 

2001; 

Whereas Wendy Wasserstein died on January 30, 2006, of 

lymphoma in New York City; 

Whereas on January 31, 2006, Broadway’s theaters dimmed 

their lights in her honor; 

Whereas Wasserstein’s buoyant attitude and magnanimous 

personality were known throughout New York City; 

Whereas Wasserstein’s work examines the struggles and conflicts faced by women in American society and culture; 

Whereas theater audiences throughout the country and 

around the world identified with Wasserstein’s characters; and 

Whereas Wasserstein’s deep commitment to New York City 

and her powerful contribution to American culture will be 

sorely missed: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors 

2 the life and legacy of Wendy Wasserstein and extends its 

3 condolences to her family, friends, loved ones, and fans. 

Æ 


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