South Carolina General Assembly
118th Session, 2009-2010

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H. 3402

STATUS INFORMATION

House Resolution
Sponsors: Rep. Cobb-Hunter
Document Path: l:\council\bills\rm\1064ahb09.docx

Introduced in the House on February 3, 2009
Adopted by the House on February 3, 2009

Summary: Eartha Kitt

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
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    2/3/2009  House   Introduced and adopted HJ-4

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

2/3/2009

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A HOUSE RESOLUTION

TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND SORROW OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES UPON THE PASSING OF NATIVE SOUTH CAROLINIAN AND INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINER EARTHA KITT, AND TO EXTEND THE DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HER FAMILY AND MANY FRIENDS.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives were deeply saddened to learn of the death of South Carolina native and internationally famed entertainer Eartha Kitt on December 25, 2008, at the venerable age of eighty-one; and

Whereas, born in South Carolina to a father of Dutch-German descent and an African American mother, Ms. Kitt capitalized on her mixed heritage to cultivate an exotic image, performing through the 1950s and 1960s on stage and television, in films and nightclubs; and

Whereas, she made her Broadway debut in 1945 in Carib Song, but her star first rose in Paris, where she was discovered by Orson Welles, who called her "the most exciting woman in the world"; and

Whereas, of her TV performances, she is best known as Catwoman on the 1960s series Batman. Her distinctive purr was later featured in the animated film The Emperor's New Groove and the Disney Channel series The Emperor's New School, for which she won Emmy Awards in 2007 and 2008; and

Whereas, the witty song stylist added signature tunes throughout her career, including "Let's Do It", "Love for Sale", and "Santa Baby"; and

Whereas, the envy of women half her age, she maintained her beauty even as she grew older retaining her siren persona; and

Whereas, though her winking irony could border on camp, she was never reduced to self-parody, and "what Ms. Kitt could do with a raised eyebrow and seven seconds of silence spoke volumes," as one admirer said of her; and

Whereas, as her most enduring legacy, in 1965 Ms. Kitt established Kittsville Youth Foundation. At no cost to its students, young people ages five to twenty, the organization provides exposure to the arts by utilizing and building relationships with professionals in the performing and cultural arts while encouraging and cultivating the skills to develop self-esteem, pride, respect, and creativity. Throughout her life, Ms. Kitt oversaw the direction of Kittsville by teaching, mentoring, and sponsoring field trips to professional productions, studio screenings, and museums; and

Whereas, Eartha Kitt leaves a daughter, Kitt Shapiro, and a host of other family members and friends. She will be missed. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, express their profound sorrow upon the passing of native South Carolinian and international entertainer Eartha Kitt, and extend the deepest sympathy to her family and many friends.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to Kitt Shapiro for the family.

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This web page was last updated on Monday, November 23, 2009 at 2:53 P.M.