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Eartha Kitt
A performer in the truest sense of the word, Eartha Kitt’s
career has spanned over six decades making her legendary in the
world of entertainment. Growing up in South Carolina during the
Great Depression, Kitt eventually moved to New York City where she
started her career as a Katherine Dunham Dancer. Performing in Blue
Holiday, Bal Negre, and Casbah allowed Kitt
to travel the world, prompting her to leave the Dunham Dance Troupe
to pursue a solo career. In Paris, Kitt played Helen of Troy in
Orson Welles’ production of Faust. Welles called
Kitt the most exciting woman in the world. Returning to America,
Kitt performed in New Faces of 1952, and appeared on the
silver screen in: St. Louis Blues, Ana Lucasta,
The Mark of the Hawk, and Boomerang. In 1953,
Kitt signed a five year recording contract with RCA records.
Kitt is not just an entertainer; she is also the author of three
autobiographies: Thursday’s Child, Alone With
Me, and Confessions of a Sex Kitten, as well as a
health book: Rejuvenate! It’s Never Too Late. Most
recently, Kitt appeared in the Disney movie The Emperor’s
New Groove, and Disney Channel’s spin off The Emperor’s
New School. Kitt just finished performing to sold out audiences
at the Café Carlyle, New York. We are pleased to have her
as our 2008 celebrity HistoryMaker. |
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Gwen Ifill
Pioneering journalist Gwen Ifill was born in Queens, New York in
1955. After earning her B.A. degree in Communications from Simmons
College in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1977, Ifill was hired by The
Boston Herald American in the midst of the city’s notorious
busing crisis. Starting out as a food critic, Ifill had her first
taste of politics while covering school board meetings in Boston.
After joining the Baltimore Evening Sun, she moved to covering
national politics. In 1984, Ifill was hired by The Washington
Post; and in 1991, she became the White House correspondent
for The New York Times. In 1994, she was named the chief
Congressional correspondent for NBC; and in 1999, she became the
moderator of PBS’ Washington Week in Review, as well
as a correspondent for The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. In
October of 2004, Ifill became the first African American woman to
moderate a vice-presidential debate.
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