Saturday, August 22, 2015

Memorial marker installed at Donna Reed's childhood home

Boulder marks the location south of Denison, IA

It's now easier to find the rural birthplace and childhood home of film and television actress, Donna Reed. The farmhouse where she grew up was lost to fire in 1983. 

The site is now marked by a huge boulder from the property and a bronze plaque. The site is located 6.5 miles south of the junction of U.S. Highway 30 and Donna Reed Drive. 

The marker was made possible through the efforts of Pat Houston, Chris Petersen and the Donna Reed Foundation.

gps coordinates, 41.934879, -95.305642

1999 Donna Reed scholarship finalist cast in ABC's crime drama, "Secrets and Lies"

Mekia Cox

Mekia Cox to appear in role of Amanda Warner

Mekia Cox (90210 and One Tree Hill) has been cast opposite Michael Ealy and Juliette Lewis in Season 2 of ABC’s anthology crime drama series Secrets & Lies, which will feature an all-new crime story that follows Eric Warner (Ealy), a newly married heir apparent who is under suspicion when his wife is murdered. Cox has been cast as Amanda Warner, Eric’s sister, and wife of a prominent Charlotte surgeon, who works as a criminal attorney for the Public Defender’s office. She idolizes her older brother Eric and is fiercely protective of him, immediately coming to his aid when he is targeted by Detective Cornell (Lewis) as the prime suspect in the murder of his wife. Cox was a 1999 Donna Reed scholarship finalist from Orlando, Florida.

Donna Reed Foundation national scholar invited to perform in Spain

Grimes on cover of Dance Teacher

Jared Grimes celebrates July 4th in Madrid

Jared Grimes, a 2001 Donna Reed Foundation scholarship recipient in dance, joined fellow Broadway stars in Spain to celebrate July 4th a bit early with over 3,000 ex-pats and Spaniards. The U.S. State Department invited Grimes (Radio City's NEW YORK SPRING SPECTACULAR), Tony Award-winner Laura Benanti (GYPSY), and Norm Lewis (PHANTOM, PORGY AND BESS), for an evening "Celebrating New York City".

The trio performed a medley of songs for the one-night-only concert at the invitation of U.S. Ambassador to Spain James Costos. Performances included classic show tunes from "Broadway Baby" to "Being Alive" and a showstopping re-visioning of MY FAIR LADY's "I Could Have Danced All Night", sung a cappella by Benanti with tap-dancing percussion from Grimes.