IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 414 

Honoring the life, contributions, and achievements of Doris Day as a singer, 

actress, and animal welfare activist and expressing the condolences of 

the House of Representatives on her passing. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 30, 2019 

Mr. PANETTA (for himself and Mr. BACON) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life, contributions, and achievements of Doris 

Day as a singer, actress, and animal welfare activist 

and expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives on her passing. 

Whereas Doris Mary Ann Von Kappelhoff was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 3, 1922; 

Whereas, as a child, Doris was encouraged by her father, 

Frederick Wilhelm Von Kappelhoff (a music teacher, 

choir master, and church organist), and mother, Alma 

Sophia Welz, to take singing lessons; 

Whereas, at age 15 while performing locally, Doris adopted 

the stage name ‘‘Day’’ for increased marquee appeal; 

Whereas, in 1940, Ms. Day was hired by Les Brown to perform with his band; 


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•HRES 414 IH 

Whereas Ms. Day’s first signature hit ‘‘Sentimental Journey,’’ cowritten by Mr. Brown, reached the Billboard 

charts in 1945, peaked at the number one position, and 

launched her into music stardom; 

Whereas, during 1945 and 1946, Ms. Day enjoyed six other 

top ten hits as vocalist of the Les Brown Band including 

‘‘My Dreams Are Getting Better,’’ which peaked at the 

number one position, ‘‘You Won’t Be Satisfied (Until 

You Break My Heart),’’ ‘‘The Whole World Is Singing 

My Song,’’ ‘‘Till The End of Time,’’ ‘‘Tain’t Me,’’ and 

‘‘I Got the Sun in the Mornin’ ’’; 

Whereas Ms. Day’s first soloist hit ‘‘Love Somebody,’’ recorded as a duet with Buddy Clark, reached the Billboard charts in 1948, peaked at the number one position, 

and became a Gold record; 

Whereas Ms. Day’s second soloist hit ‘‘It’s Magic,’’ featured 

in Ms. Day’s film debut ‘‘Romance on the High Seas,’’ 

reached the Billboard charts in 1948, peaked at the number two position, and launched her into movie stardom; 

Whereas, from 1948 to 1975, Ms. Day was featured in 39 

films and two television shows, including her popular television show, ‘‘The Doris Day Show’’; 

Whereas Ms. Day’s performance in the film ‘‘Pillow Talk’’ 

was recognized with a Golden Globe award in the category of Best Actress; 

Whereas, in 1956, Ms. Day’s song ‘‘Que Sera, Sera’’ was 

awarded an Oscar in the category of Best Song for its 

feature in Alfred Hitchcock’s film, ‘‘The Man Who Knew 

Too Much’’; 

Whereas, in the years following her retirement from acting 

and singing in 1975, Ms. Day devoted her efforts to aniVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR414.IH HR414

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mal welfare activism by personally rescuing and placing 

hundreds of neglected animals; 

Whereas Ms. Day founded the Doris Day Animal Foundation 

in 1978 and the Doris Day Animal League in 1987 with 

a mission to help animals and their caregivers; 

Whereas Ms. Day’s foundation continues to operate as one of 

the world’s largest animal welfare organizations; 

Whereas, inspired by her rescue pet named Duffy, Ms. Day 

founded the Duffy Day Lifesaving Program with the intent to save senior and injured animals from euthanasia; 

Whereas Ms. Day became a resident of Carmel, California in 

1981 and enjoyed her life as a community member of the 

central coast of California until her passing; 

Whereas Ms. Day’s fondness for Carmel Valley led her to assume co-ownership, with Mr. Dennis A. LeVett, of the 

historic Cypress Inn, located in Carmel and renowned as 

one the most pet-friendly businesses in the country; 

Whereas Ms. Day received the Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in 2008, recognizing her many contributions to the 

entertainment industry; 

Whereas Ms. Day was honored with the Presidential Medal 

of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2004 for 

her achievements in entertainment and advocacy for animal welfare; and 

Whereas Doris Day is a cultural icon for the United States 

of America and revered animal welfare activist who made 

lasting impacts on the entertainment industry and the 

work of animal rights activism: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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1 (1) honors Doris Day for her significant con2 tributions to the music and entertainment indus3 tries, for advancing the cause of animal welfare ac4 tivism, for serving as an influence and inspiration to 

5 future generations, and for bringing joy to millions 

6 of people around the world; and 

7 (2) expresses profound sorrow at the death of 

8 Doris Day and condolences to her family, friends, 

9 and colleagues. 

Æ 


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