R.I.P. Mary Crabtree

Mary Crabtree was the lady that started the Cumberland County Playhouse (where I worked) with her husband, Paul Crabtree (who worked on Broadway, TV, etc.). She passed away and there is no doubt that Crossville and this area of Tennessee has taken a hard blow. I cannot overstate her importance to this city and to many, many people. She was one of the most beautiful, graceful women ever. In the dictionary beside the work "class," her picture would be shown. I got a card for her son, Jim, the man who currently runs the theater, and his wife Annie.

On a good note, however, the woman who directed me in the play I was in a few months ago, Brenda Schwab, had been putting off seeing Mary... well, last night she made up her mind to go see her and she died while she was there... they were singing to her.

The lives this woman has touched directly or indirectly are endless and will continue on with each play performed at the theater.

Truly, a deep, sad loss for all of us who love the theater and those who loved her... tonight, I am with the many who will be mourning.