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Our Forefathers and Foremothers 41
OUR LAST VISIT
Once Sonny and I moved to San Luis Obispo, I got the leading part in “Kind Lady,” at the local theatre. I was so excited, and I called my dad in Los Angeles to ask if he could come up to see the play. My stepmother answered and said she was too busy with their son, little Jay, and she was sure that my dad was also too busy. I was disappointed but continued rehearsing, silently wishing he could make the opening night. I never heard a word.
When the curtain opened and I walked onstage, I didn’t lose my composure, but out there, fourth-row center, sitting next to Sonny, was my darling father with his face just beaming. It was one of the happiest and most memorable moments in my life. It was especially meaningful because that was the last time I ever saw my father alive. He passed away of a massive heart attack on March 30, 1950, at age fifty-two. His nephew, Herbert Lipsky, was with him at the time.
Above
I starred in a performance of “Kind Lady” in 1948 in San Luis Obispo with my father proudly sitting in the audience. Babette Ricker Gawain and I founded the San Luis Obispo Little Theater, which is still going strong, and I played in several productions.
Opposite page
Sidney in San Luis Obispo during the annual fiesta shortly before he passed away in 1950.