October 8, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) – Supermodel, film star and the former wife of Big Band leader Kay Kyser, Georgia Carroll Kyser has made a new home for herself in the Cedars at Meadowmont retirement village in Chapel Hill, where she is working on her memoirs. Raleigh Metro Magazine artist-at-large Louis St. Lewis offers a glimpse into the upcoming book, entitled “Now and Then,” and into the life of the “Grand Dame of Chapel Hill” in the October edition.
“I had always known Georgia was a model and film star in her salad days, but only when I started delving deeper into her past did I fall under the spell of her perfect features, charmed life and lovely cheekbones,” Louis writes. “She has seen it all in her day, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich and other names that resonate through the ages. Her close friends included Lucille Ball, Jimmy Stewart, Dinah Shore and Alan Ladd.”
Georgia Kyser has called Chapel Hill home for over a half century, since her famous husband retired there. Extremely fond of her adopted home, she became involved in the life and look of the “Village.” Louis notes that she helped set the tone for “the elegant Carolina Inn,” she had a say in the town’s appearance statutes, and she lent her good taste to the decors of many of Chapel Hill’s finest homes. She and Ida Friday, the wife of UNC-Chapel Hill President Emeritus William Friday, co-founded the Chapel Hill Preservation Society in the early 1970s. Kyser was graduated from UNC at the age of 50.
The excerpt from “Now and Then” recalls the first trip the soon-to-be supermodel made to New York City, where modeling agency legend John Robert Powers signed her up for a Redbook cover as soon as he laid eyes on the young girl from Texas dressed all in white.
To read Louis St. Lewis’ entire column, including the excerpt. go to www.metronc.com.
About Metro Magazine:
Established in 1999, Raleigh Metro Magazine is a monthly publication covering North Carolina from the Research Triangle area to the coast, with a circulation of 40,000. It is available on newsstands and at www.metronc.com.
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