Who Am I? April 3, 2021
I was born in Paris, France at the tail end of the Korean Conflict to American parents. Dad’s folks were Russian-Jewish and my mom’s were of mixed ethnic heritage. At that time dad was a naval officer stationed in France. Dad sometimes had gigs as a jazz saxophonist. Mom also served in the navy and for a time worked as a singer. Though not halachically Jewish, I was brought up with many Jewish traditions.
After our European postings the family moved to MD where I grew up. I was a cheerleader in high school. My dad, after his discharge, worked in newspaper distribution and as an insurance agent. My folks later ran a resort hotel.
A prominent singer and beauty queen arranged a full scholarship for me at Oral Roberts University in K where I studied drama and music. I can look back and say I was fortunate to have a 40 year career as singer, songwriter, author, TV host, actress and spokesperson. I have rarely been out of the public arena.
One of my first gigs was appearing on an NBC soap opera, “Days of Our Lives.” Following that I was a vocalist on a game show; however, my career trajectory really skyrocketed after I was paired with a very congenial media personality who had worked as an actor, a singer and a game show host. We hit it off right away and our on air repartee kept our show on the little screen for 15 years!
I have been a spokesperson for many companies and organizations. In fact, I made a store
appearance at the “A & P” (now “Acme”) located at the corner of Lake Street and Goffle Road in Midland Park, not far from the JHSNJ, in March 2014.
I wrote some of the songs for a musical about a flamboyant thrice- married woman superstar of the 1920’s and 1930’s. That lady was a Pentecostal preacher and faith healer who attracted a wide following and media frenzy in her day. The musical included gospel, ballads and anthems. My personal philosophy is, “Trust God with your life, and He’ll make something beautiful come out of it. It may take a long time, but He will.”
I’ve also written 4 books that appeared on the New York Times bestseller list including my
autobiography. I’ve produced my own fitness video with the idea of reducing my “wuggies.” I’ve also released a string of albums and have had my own clothing line. As you can see I’ve led a busy life but somehow also managed to raise a family. A lot of you will be familiar with my second husband, a man 20 years my senior. He had been a professional football star half-back for 12 years and later was an Emmy Award winning sportscaster. Despite one ‘hiccup’ along the way, we were married for almost 30 years. Together we raised money and gave continuous financial support to two N.Y.C. shelters. I’ve also done charity work and fundraising for another N.G.O.
I’m pretty sure you know me by now. That’s me in the photo below.
(1a)Who Am I? (1b)Who arranged for my full scholarship at Oral Roberts? (1c)What role did I have on “Days of Our Lives?” (1d)On what game show was I a vocalist? (2a)Who was my congenial co-host on our long-running morning show for which we were nominated multiple times for the Daytime Emmy Awards? (2b)What was the name of our show? (3a)Name one company I acted as spokesperson for. (3b)Who was the central charismatic character of the musical mentioned above and what was the name of that musical? (3c)What was the name of my autobiography and who co-authored it? (3d) How do I define a “wuggie?” (4a)What was the name of my second husband? (4b)A TWA stewardess caused one big “hiccup” in our long marriage. What was her name?
