Georgia Carroll(1919-2011)

Already a talented singer and dancer as a child, Georgia matured into a beautiful Hollywood model. Aged 17, she made the cover of 'Redbook' and her face continued to be featured throughout the 1930's and 40's in fashion magazines (Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Ladies Home Journal), on calendars and in advertising. In 1941, she was signed by Warner Brothers and decorated several A-grade productions, generally in small parts and, occasionally, featuring her exquisite voice. She sang 'Should I', in the MGM musical La parade aux étoiles (1943), where she met her future husband, the bandleader Kay Kyser. According to Kyser's publicist/band manager, Paul Mosher, Georgia and Kay were speeding through Nevada one night in June 1944, when they were pulled over by a state trooper. In order to avoid the bad publicity of a speeding charge, they swore that they were on their way to get married. Thus preempted, they roused a Justice of the Peace from his sleep and went on to become one of the most successful couples in show business. Georgia continued as vocalist with the Kay Kyser band, as well making appearances on television. She retired in 1951, concentrating on raising her family, collecting antiques and being active in the Chapel Hill (N.C.) historical preservation movement.