can, that’s all I can do. As it is, she doesn’t say anything and neither do I. I will have to follow her lead on it.”
There was a pause. “That’s got to be a hard thing for her to come to terms with, don’t you think?” said Aunt Elner. “You know it must prey on her mind.”
“I don’t know, Aunt Elner, but I imagine it’s hurtful for her to even think about so I just don’t bring it up.”
“Yes, that’s probably best. Well, honey, thank you again for my present. I sure am enjoying it … and tell Macky to run over here for a minute, will you? My back door’s stuck again.”
“OK, I’ll tell him.”
Aunt Elner hung up and turned the glass paperweight upside down one more time and watched the tiny pieces of fake snow swirl and settle around the miniature Empire State Building and said out loud to herself, “Look at that … it’s like it says, a winter wonderland.”
A day later Norma sat down and wrote a letter.
Mr. Wayne Newton
c/o the
Tonight Show
, NBC
New York City
Dear Mr. Newton,
Just a note to say hello again. As you know my husband and I and our Aunt Elner have always been your biggest fans. We always watch you when you are on television and have all your albums, and four years ago were lucky enough to see you when you performed at the Missouri State Fair.
So you can imagine how grateful we are to our cousin Dena Nordstrom for giving us an opportunity to actually meet you in person and get an autographed picture. It was the highlight of our trip.
You were so sweet to us and we were happy to find out that you are such a nice, down-to-earth person. I know that you travel a lot and probably don’t get a chance to get to church so I’m sending you a subscription to the
Daily Word
and some fig preserves from our Aunt Elner. Mr. Newton, if you ever get anywhere near Elmwood Springs, Missouri, please know you have a place to stay and I can promise you some good home cooking. I am sure you must get tired of hotel food and we would love to have you as our guest.
Best wishes,
Mrs. Norma Warren
P.S. You are now on our “Wall of Fame” in a prominent place next to our cousin.
How She Got There
Sacred Heart Academy
Silver Spring, Maryland
1959
Fame is a funny thing. It knows who it wants and starts stalking people at an early age. Dena was only fifteen when it went after her. A photographer from
Seventeen
magazine came to her school and she was one of ten girls chosen to be photographed that day. She had never considered herself to be pretty, and she was getting to be too tall, but they had requested several blondes and she was one of the few in her class that year. Albert Boutwell, the makeup man, had been putting makeup on giggling teenage girls all over the country and when the slim, lanky kid walked in she was just another one in an assembly line of faces he was to make up that day. She sat down and he put a smock on her. He noted that she was particularly pale so he used a slightly darker base and a little more eyeliner to bring out her eyes. When he had finished, he glanced up in the mirror for a last-minute check. What he saw was astonishing. Looking back at him was what had become, at a touch, one of the most beautiful faces he had ever seen. Dena, who had never had on makeup before, was as shocked as he was. He asked her what her name was. “Well, Miss Dena Nordstrom,” he said, “look at yourself. You are a knockout!” The next girl came in and took Dena’s place.
A month later, back in New York looking at proofs, the photographer came to the Nordstrom girl’s picture, viewing it through a magnifier, and he recalled the moment. “You’re right. Look at this kid. Hell, you can’t get a bad shot of her! This kid has a goddamn golden, million-dollar face.” He turned to his assistant. “Find out who she is and how we can get in touch with her.”
“I told you,” Albert said. “When she walked in she was nothing. I slapped a little
There was a pause. “That’s got to be a hard thing for her to come to terms with, don’t you think?” said Aunt Elner. “You know it must prey on her mind.”
“I don’t know, Aunt Elner, but I imagine it’s hurtful for her to even think about so I just don’t bring it up.”
“Yes, that’s probably best. Well, honey, thank you again for my present. I sure am enjoying it … and tell Macky to run over here for a minute, will you? My back door’s stuck again.”
“OK, I’ll tell him.”
Aunt Elner hung up and turned the glass paperweight upside down one more time and watched the tiny pieces of fake snow swirl and settle around the miniature Empire State Building and said out loud to herself, “Look at that … it’s like it says, a winter wonderland.”
A day later Norma sat down and wrote a letter.
Mr. Wayne Newton
c/o the
Tonight Show
, NBC
New York City
Dear Mr. Newton,
Just a note to say hello again. As you know my husband and I and our Aunt Elner have always been your biggest fans. We always watch you when you are on television and have all your albums, and four years ago were lucky enough to see you when you performed at the Missouri State Fair.
So you can imagine how grateful we are to our cousin Dena Nordstrom for giving us an opportunity to actually meet you in person and get an autographed picture. It was the highlight of our trip.
You were so sweet to us and we were happy to find out that you are such a nice, down-to-earth person. I know that you travel a lot and probably don’t get a chance to get to church so I’m sending you a subscription to the
Daily Word
and some fig preserves from our Aunt Elner. Mr. Newton, if you ever get anywhere near Elmwood Springs, Missouri, please know you have a place to stay and I can promise you some good home cooking. I am sure you must get tired of hotel food and we would love to have you as our guest.
Best wishes,
Mrs. Norma Warren
P.S. You are now on our “Wall of Fame” in a prominent place next to our cousin.
How She Got There
Sacred Heart Academy
Silver Spring, Maryland
1959
Fame is a funny thing. It knows who it wants and starts stalking people at an early age. Dena was only fifteen when it went after her. A photographer from
Seventeen
magazine came to her school and she was one of ten girls chosen to be photographed that day. She had never considered herself to be pretty, and she was getting to be too tall, but they had requested several blondes and she was one of the few in her class that year. Albert Boutwell, the makeup man, had been putting makeup on giggling teenage girls all over the country and when the slim, lanky kid walked in she was just another one in an assembly line of faces he was to make up that day. She sat down and he put a smock on her. He noted that she was particularly pale so he used a slightly darker base and a little more eyeliner to bring out her eyes. When he had finished, he glanced up in the mirror for a last-minute check. What he saw was astonishing. Looking back at him was what had become, at a touch, one of the most beautiful faces he had ever seen. Dena, who had never had on makeup before, was as shocked as he was. He asked her what her name was. “Well, Miss Dena Nordstrom,” he said, “look at yourself. You are a knockout!” The next girl came in and took Dena’s place.
A month later, back in New York looking at proofs, the photographer came to the Nordstrom girl’s picture, viewing it through a magnifier, and he recalled the moment. “You’re right. Look at this kid. Hell, you can’t get a bad shot of her! This kid has a goddamn golden, million-dollar face.” He turned to his assistant. “Find out who she is and how we can get in touch with her.”
“I told you,” Albert said. “When she walked in she was nothing. I slapped a little
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