Personal Acknowledgments
Joseph Wyatt: Dr. Wyatt is the first person to really
encourage me to speak out. To come out of the
"closet" with my very small part in The Wizard of Oz. Joe
has become a very dear friend and I thank him so much
for
his warmth and encouragement in allowing
myself to be known.
Thank you Joe for all your kindness. You were
right!
William Stillman: There is not enough room to put
all the things that Bill's compassion and caring
has meant to me.
Bill has always been there for me and taught me to
walk again where I had once painfully walked
before. I will always love your gentleness, kindness
and patience. Where I walk now is full of joy and
thanksgiving for having been a part of the greatest
of films. No other film has this kind of universality.
It is loved the world over. Bill, more than any other
person, you brought me home.
Jean Nelson: Jean is my friend that started
the festival in Chesterton, Indiana many years ago. She
coaxed, cajoled, and worked herself beyond normal
limits to give birth to the largest Oz festival in the
world. Jean is my friend and confidant. She has
given me new insight into what it means to be a
part of Oz today.
Patricia Linderman: Patti and I met on the
computer long before I became involved with Oz as
it is today. I became a mentor to Patti and when she
found out that I had been in The Wizard of Oz, she
was dumb struck. It turned out that her hometown
was Chesterton, Indiana. Until then I had never
heard of the town or the fact that it is the home to
the largest Oz festival in the world. I had already
adopted Patti as my fifth daughter bringing my
children to a total of eight. Patti is a joy to me. We
constantly provide inspiration and encouragement
to each other. Patti later became my ambassador
for the Oz festival each year in the city of Chesterton. Patti is a great photographer. My
deepest thanks Patti. I love you.
John Fricke: John has, regardless of his busy
schedule, been a constant source of inspiration to
me. He has been kind, caring, and made me feel
very special. Thank you John for your wonderful
support and your ability to listen. Most of all John
thank you for your lovely words of encouragement about my ability to write. Rest assured I will
continue to do just that.
David Moyer: David is one of my dearest friends.
We met
at the 1999 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
conference for the International Wizard of Oz Club
(IWOC). David teaches Egyptology at NYU. He
writes a column for the KMT, A Modern Journal for
Ancient Egypt. He is also a contributor for the
Baum Bugle. David and I have corresponded now
for over a year. David does not have nor does he
want to be online. This is done through letters, long
letters, by snail mail. That is what you call true
friendship in today's world of time crunching.
David has been my mentor in a myriad
of ways. He
has sent me books, videos, magazines and
other assorted articles about many subjects as well as Oz.
David you are a rare jewel of both the Nile and the
Emerald City.
Jay Scarfone: Jay has been a wonderful friend.
Both Jay and Bill are a class act. Together they
have seen me through many a difficulty that
without their expert advise would not have been
such an easy task for me. Jay has a way of seeing to
the heart of a matter but never being cantankerous
or mean in his awareness of a problem. He is
indeed an asset to the memory of Frank Baum's
incomparable gifts to the world.
Michael McCormick: Michael has been my friend since before I made a decision about becoming active once again to celebrate Oz. He has been very supportive and one of the primary attributes that Michael has is a well-developed sense of humor. Michael has a great love for Oz and has helped often with researching the Web to find the music I wanted and many wavs for my Oz site. Your friendship and your family's friendship have been a source of encouragement and great pleasure. Thank you so much Michael, Marcie and Morgan McCormick.
Jane Albright: Jane and I did not get off on the
right foot but with Jane's perseverance, kindness,
ability to listen and respond we over came all. I will
never forget the Herculean job you tackled by putting together the most incredible Centennial Celebration that the IWOC
has ever had. I was allowed to be part of that at
least in part because of Jane's ability to get things done. Thank you Jane. Your
friendship means a lot to me.
Elaine Willingham: I first met Elaine over a year
ago and she immediately was so kind to me and to
put my then Web site link on her links page. Elaine
has a wonderful Web site all about Oz. We have
talked many times through E-mail and finally; just
recently, I got to meet Elaine. Thank you for your
friendship and here's to a lasting and rich companionship for the future.
Jeff Pomilla: Jeff is my self appointed publicist.
They say,
"If the shoe fits wear it". And, indeed it does. It
was totally through Jeff's ingenuity that the
articles in both the July issues of Autograph
Collectors and the Autograph Times appeared. Jeff
came into my life wanting my autograph. He is an
avid collector of Oz memorabilia. We became
friends. He has a lovely wife and two beautiful
daughters. Thanks for all your help and friendship
Jeff. It has been the nicest of warm fuzzies to me.
Jeff is indeed a keeper.
Jim Whitcomb: My friendship with Jim began with his Oz Web site. I first noticed that he put a couple of quotes from something I had said on other web locations. I admire Jim's Web site and in fact it was his site that really inspired my own site. Jim has been a wonderful friend and I appreciate his special gifts to the Oz community.
Karen Owens: Karen is not only my mentor but at
times she has been my keeper. When things have
gone wrong it is Karen that not only comes to my
rescue but also has helped me to keep a sense of
proportion about situations. Karen has also become
my publicist and has allowed me to participate in
today's world of Oz celebrations. It is Karen's
ability to negotiate with others that got me to the
Bloomington 2000 Centennial and the 16th annual
Oz fest in Chicago. Thank you Karen for being my
friend. Our summer 2000 is going to be nothing less
than spectacular!
Ivan Brillhart: This story is pure magic. I found
another Oz site I had not seen before. My daughter,
Patti Linderman, had sent me the URL. I signed the
Guest book then told him how impressed I was with
his site. I thought that he would know who I was. A
humbling experience indeed as he had never heard
of me before. He sent me a note to ask if he should
know me and then began many
E-mails between us
sharing about families and ourselves. I told Ivan
that I had started a Web site about Oz with AOL's
help but that help was no longer available. I asked
him if he would be interested in helping and asked
what he would charge? The next day I received an
E-mail from Ivan outlining a whole list of things he
would do for me within the site. As I read I
thought, I am never going to be able to afford this.
At the bottom of the list were his requirements for
doing the site. To my happy surprise he agreed to
do it for an autographed picture of myself. I never
knew my autograph could be so valuable. We are
just beginning this venture together. Ivan I am so
grateful that you came into my life when you did.
You are taking part in something truly unique. I
believe that I am the only living character that
actually was part of the filming of The Wizard of Oz
that has a Web site about Oz. This site will live on
long after the original cast is all gone. This then
will be the permanent record of those who were
there and those who have come after. It is for every
Oz fan for now and always. Thank you Ivan for
making that happen.
N. Nelson Hardway, II: I cannot close this without
thanking the person I am the closest to. I dedicate
this site to my husband of 16 years, my friend, and
the love of my life. Thanks for your
encouragement, and for putting up with my hours
on the computer networking with other Ozzies.
Thanks for your patience as I sat hour after hour on
the computer composing all the necessary material
for this Web site. Thanks for going with me to all
the conventions and festivals and helping to get me
there in one piece both physically and emotionally.
Thanks too for being my official photographer along with Patti Linderman. Thanks for being my
husband. I just renewed your contract for another 16 years.
To my children, Bob, Curt, Don, Cheri, Chrysteen, Connie, Cara, November Lynn (step daughter), and Patricia (adopted daughter). And, to all of their progeny of thirteen grandchildren. Connie and Cara have always been my greatest cheerleaders. They above all else taught me that I indeed had a life that went beyond the bounds of wife, mother and the pain of healing. You two have always loved me even when living was painful for me. You both say that I taught you about unconditional love---we taught each other. You both are all a mother could ask for. A special thanks to Connie for being my research assistant. **Please see the Autobiographical section for my children's pictures. Thank you.
I want to thank all of the cast and crewmembers and the powers that allowed this film to become a reality. To M-G-M, Louis B. Mayer, Producer; Mervyn LeRoy, Director; Victor Fleming and others, and of course the man who originally brought this to life, L. Frank Baum. This story, this year, is 100 years old. It will be here hundreds more. This of course would not be complete at this juncture of time without giving thanks to those who were there when The Wizard of Oz was filmed and are still with us today.
To: Margaret Pelligrini
Clarence Swenson
Jerry Maren
Karl Slover
Mickey Carroll
Ruth Duccini
Meinhardt Raabe
Olga Nardone
"Idaho" Lewis Croft
Children:
Betty Ann Bruno
Joan Kenmore
Eva Lee Kuney
"Baby" Patsy May
Donna Stewart-Hardway
Young Adults who appeared in the Emerald City:
Lois January
I would certainly be remiss if I did not include:
Buddy Ebsen:
After all, he was the Tin Woodman in the beginning of the film until he became very ill from the makeup he was wearing for the part.
There are many others I would like to mention.
Peter Hanff,
David Maxine, Steve Cox, Michael Patrick Hearn,
Willard Carroll, Rita Dubas, the wonderful folks at the Chesterton Chamber of Commerce, Basha Puleo, Bill Beem, Scott Yannick, Kevin and Marilyn Hoglund and Foo and Nick Travetto.
Each and every one of you knows the place you have come to be in my life. You are all truly Ozsome.
I am sure there are others and I will be updating
this list from time to time.
Donna Stewart-Hardway