House Republican Press Release

February 23, 2007

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Katharine Hepburn Named to Connecticut Hall of Fame

Legislature Inducts Katharine Hepburn, Mark Twain, Igor Sikorsky to New Hall of Fame

The state legislature has inducted Katharine Hepburn, formerly of Old Saybrook, as one of first members of a new Connecticut Hall of Fame. Also included were renowned author Mark Twain and Igor Sikorsky, who invented the helicopter.

State Rep. Marilyn Giuliano, R-23, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Westbrook, said “We are delighted that former Shoreline resident Katharine Hepburn was named as one of the first  three hall of fame members.”

“Katharine Hepburn brought elegance and sophistication to the screen as one of America’s finest film actresses,” said Rep. Giuliano.

The state legislature created the Connecticut Hall of Fame in 2006, and they invited nominations to be submitted from groups and individuals throughout the state. A committee sorted through nominees who included diplomats, elected officials, writers, athletes, scholars and business leaders.

Locally, Rep. Giuliano noted, residents of Old Saybrook with help from contributors across the country are working to convert the old town hall into the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center and Theater.

Katharine Hepburn, who was born in Hartford, received 12 Academy Award nominations and won four for Best Actress. Her acting career spanned 70 years. She died at the family home in the Fenwick section of Old Saybrook in 2003.

Mark Twain, whose real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemons, lived in Hartford beginning in 1872 and wrote enduring masterpieces, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He died in Redding, Connecticut, in 1910.

Igor Sikorsky emigrated from Russia in 1919 and brought his experimental helicopter-type designs with him. Sikorsky started a company on Long Island and later moved it to Stratford, Connecticut, where he died in 1972. The company continues there today.

Rep. Giuliano serves the 23rd Assembly District of Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and Westbrook in the state House of Representatives.