And The Oscar Goes To...

Betty Jane. You won't be familiar with that name, but I remember that shining star with hopeless devotion and great emotion.

That year we gave her an Oscar Party for her eightieth birthday. The red carpet, the gold, shiny statue, the limousine, the movie posters with her name next to Rhett Butler's... all of it!

The performance that stands out in my mind was one day when we grocery shopped for a very large meal in Colorado. The roads were snow packed and slippery and a truck was supposed to pick us up at a designated time. For one reason or another, the truck couldn't make it. I was young and muddled. Betty Jane went into the market and asked the butcher if he had a piece of rope and a large cardboard box. I could not have imagined what would come next! She moved here a little, there a little, tied this, and cut that...and built a sleigh! We walked home, trailing the sleigh behind us.

I've never known anyone who could make something from nothing the way that she did. Her knack for improvising and her industrious nature were beyond compare.

The Lucille grin, the infectious laugh, the out-of-the-side-of-her-mouth whisper all gave her star quality.

I'll never forget her.

Warmly,
Alis