Raleigh Metro Magazine Previews Georgia Carroll Kyser’s Memoirs
October 9, 2009 at 12:50 am | In books, news | Leave a CommentTags: Chapel Hill, Louis St. Lewis, Metro Magazine
Georgia Kyser
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.
“Orphans Of War” Author To Appear On BlogTalkRadio
August 17, 2009 at 7:32 pm | In books, news | Leave a CommentTags: Lebanese conflict, NC authors, NC writers
August 17, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) – Bearta Powell, the Lebanese-born Raleigh, NC, author whose new book Orphans of War chronicles her life as an orphan growing up in war-torn Lebanon, will be featured in a full-hour interview on Deidre Hughey’s “Author Buzz” talk show for BlogTalkRadio on August 19 beginning at 2 p.m.
Orphans of War is an unembellished account of the life of five siblings – including the author — after they became orphans in the midst of the religious and political conflict that consumed Lebanon.
“When I was five my parents died, leaving behind five young children,” Powell says. “We lost our parents and virtually every relative, but we gained brothers and sisters at the orphanage that took us in. Through anything that came our way – death, war, hunger, misery, rejection, failure, and happiness, we were there for each other. Out unbreakable bond, support and love for each other… as we searched for the positive in the remnants of each experience . . . no matter how horrific.”
Powell will discuss many of those experiences, as well as the courage she and her siblings found to survive amidst desperation and fear, during Hughey’s “Author Buzz” interview.
Bearta Powell immigrated to the United States when she was 19 years old. She graduated from North Carolina State University and now lives in Raleigh with her husband and three sons.
“I am an American and I say that both proudly and modestly,” she says. “I have three beautiful boys that know only of war-torn Lebanon through my stories and battle-scarred photographs. I have a supportive husband who gives me comfort when memories swell up and paralyze me with remembrance. I am grateful to America, for she has given me new memories and the resolute strength of a survivor.”
For more information on Bearta Powell and Ophans of War, including a way to order Orphans of War, visit her website at www.BeartaPowell.net.
Deidre Hughey’s show is accessible at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/DeidreHughey.
About Bearta Powell:
Bearta Powell is a Lebanese-born author who became a naturalized US citizen at 19 years old. Powell, an orphan, spent her formative years amidst war-torn Lebanon and wrote Orphans of War to chronicle her often horrific childhood experiences. Powell is a graduate of North Carolina State University where she pursued a Bachelors of Science in Business and Management. Powell is a fitness enthusiast and very active in her community. As a certified Zumba® and IFTA instructor, Powell orchestrates the largest inter-cultural fitness event in the Raleigh metro area. Her events are designed to celebrate cultural differences through a variety of fun with fitness and fun with food experiences. Orphans of War is available for purchase through book retailers and through the author’s website at www.BeartaPowell.net.
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