Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:56:46 -0400 To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org> From: "Michael" <mreher-AT-dc.rr.com> Subject: [Puptcrit] Velma Dawson Thank you Alan for passing on the news about Velma. I have been a close friend of Velma's for many years. I know that she has continued on a wonderful journey. I visited with Velma often, once a week. I had a long conversation with her Tuesday evening and had shared with her about Marcel Marceau. I had the honor of meeting him several years ago. We talked about his teaching and helping puppeteers and Velma said, "Good, they need all the help they can get." We both laughed very hard. Velma had a wonderful; sense of humor and sharp wit. I am grateful I have shared wonderful times and helped keep puppetry alive with Velma. There was hardly an evening when friends gathered or a party that Howdy and Madame Sings Off Key didn't make a special appearance. This past spring Velma was honored for 50 years of service by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. I had the responsibility and pleasure of presenting Howdy before the more than 500 guests. Howdy, spoke with the guests and MC, Bryce Zabel. When the time came to present Velma her special award, there was no more joy in me than when Howdy pointed to Velma's and said "Come on up her Mom!". Velma created wonderful puppets and marionettes. She recently asked me to bring back to life a special series of characters she created in the fifties. We, Velma and I, have already been able to share with another generation of young people a few of the beautifully built characters. I know that everyday that a string is pulled, that Velma is right here pulling that string too. Below is an article from the front page of the Desert Sun. Earlier it was mistakenly reported Velma being 84. She'd let you know, as well as all who helped celebrate her Birthday May 30, that she is 95 years old. The article below originally referred to Iris Beach as a caretaker. Iris has been a close and valued friend of Velma and her late husband for more than 50 years. She has known Velma longer than anyone and provide quality of life, a caretaker never could have. Desert Sun Article (Revised) Creator of Howdy Doody dies at 95 Judith Salkin * The Desert Sun * September 27, 2007 Velma Wayne Dawson, the woman who made Howdy Doody a TV icon, has died at the age of 95 at her Palm Desert home. Dawson was born in Sydney, Australia, on May 30, 1912. Originally taking an interest in dance, she was a ballroom dancer with Charles Tesks and worked as a dance stand-in for Marion Davies. She became enamored of puppets, marionettes in particular, after seeing the Walton and O'Rourke puppets on Los Angeles' famed Olvera Street. After trying to find a puppet to purchase, Dawson searched for puppet-making books. Dawson spent the next several years developing her skills as marionette designer. "There's a lot that goes into the puppets. You have counter balance the strings to get them move right," said Robin Montgomery of the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In 1948, when NBC was looking for someone to carve a new Howdy Doody, after a dispute with Howdy's original designer, Frank Paris, they contacted Dawson. She continued as Howdy's primary caretaker through the 1960s when the show went off the air. Dawson was married to golf course designer Johnny Dawson in the early 1940s. The couple was married for 32 years before they divorced in the 1970s. While Johnny Dawson designed the Thunderbird Country Club, Velma designed the clubhouse. "It never looked as beautiful as when Velma designed it," said longtime friend, Edith Morrey. The two also collaborated on other country clubs in the area. Morrey, who shared a friendship with Dawson for more than 50 years, recalled her work with Coachella Valley charities, particularly the Pathfinder Ball at Thunderbird Country Club and her seat on the board of the College of the Desert Foundation. The foundation building is named in her honor. According to Dawson's longtime friend, Iris Beach, memorial services are pending. "She wanted to be cremated and her ashes buried next to her mother." Throughout her long life, Dawson was best remembered for Howdy Doody. "All I did," she is quoted as saying, "was make a stupid puppet." End end end I will have a few pictures to share soon. For now, everyone=8A. It's Howdy Doody Time It's Howdy Doody Time . . . . . . Michael Reher Master Puppeteer-Proprietor Things On Strings La Quinta, CA 92253 760-771-9671 visit us and shop on line <http://www.thingsonstrings.com/>www.thingsonstrings.com _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
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