Eleven Days to Seventy

Okay - this one is easy. I was born in Summit N.J.. As the first of 28 grandchildren on my mother's side I had 8 adoring aunts and uncles (3 of whom were serving in WW II) who spoiled me rotten - I had them all to myself for 5 years until my sister Patsy and cousin Peter came into the picture. I was somewhere in the middle of 12 grandchildren on my father's side and the aunts and uncle had their own kids to spoil. Here are some of the things that happened in my first decade of life.

• World War II ended
  


• My parents bought their first (and only) house in Chatham, N.J. for about $5,000.
  


• My father drove a Hudson - my mother never drove a car



• Baptism, First Confession, First Communion, May Crownings



• I learned to read, write, dance, play piano, ride a bike, roller skate & play hop scotch
  


• I was best friends with Pat Denver and Dee Brennan



• We went to St. Patrick's School with K, 1&2 in the same room, 3&4, 5&6 and 7&8 also shared rooms. Boys had gym (dodge ball) on one side of the building , girls on the other
  


• Art was coloring mimiographed pictures - I can still smell the paper
  


• I was in the "Four Jills" with Lyn Valgenti, Diane Duchamp and Sharon McCandless - we made a record on Lyn's father's equipment-I still have it



• I fell and hit my head on a radiator running to greet my godmother and still have the scar on my eyebrow
  


• I decided to become a nun
  


• I met Tony Phipps and decided not to be a nun



• Tony's brother stabbed me in the palm with a pencil. The lead is still there



• I decided to become an actress and move to Hollywood

This is the decade that showed me the importance of family, friends and faith. I have the unconditional love and support of my extended family to thank for the ridiculous amount of self esteem in the person you see today. They taught me to think that nothing was impossible ....except maybe the going to Hollywood thing.