My Friend Carole

I have a friend named Carole Horowitz. You can read about her here.

I can't tell you exactly when I first met her. I came back to Ames and got involved with ACTORS. For those who don't know that is our local community theater. I am sure that is where we first met Carole was my producer when I directed the Children's Theater production of Pinocchio. That was a story in and of itself.

Over the years I have known her she and her husband Jack have become two of my favorite people. Carole is very involved with the Children's Theater and every year she and her group take three productions around to each school. They range from dance to puppets to audience involvement to performers brought in from the big city to reader's theater. Just about any theater experience you could want. They provide it. The students are generally brought into the gymnasium for the production and sometimes it is the only time the entire school is together.

It is a wonderful break and it instills in the students a love for the arts. This is something I find very worthwhile and important. Carole doesn't do it alone. She has a board of directors and they all work to provide this experience for the kids. They also sponsor a play in a theater for the student so that experience is also there for them. All in all it is a wonderful addition to our community.

Carole is FUN! She always has a smile and you can see that she enjoys life and all that it has to offer. She writes a column for the Ames newspaper and keeps us up to date on the Art happening in our city and elsewhere.

Carol used to sell imported jewelry and we had jewelry parties with her. A bunch of us would sit around the table and Carole would bring out treasure after treasure and we had a blast. Because she was so entertaining we had her back time after time and always bought things from her. I remember those evenings with fondness.

In 1994 (I think) I went into Washington, DC for Masonic Week. While I was there I hooked up with Carole who saw to it that I got to go to the Holocaust Museum where she was a volunteer. It was the most profound experience of that trip and I will never forget it. For those of you who do not know the Freemasons of Germany were also victims of Nazi Germany and it was very moving to see that connection as a part of the exhibits. I visited it again later when my nephew and I were in DC. But Carole was the first one to see to it that I got to learn about the museum.

Carole and Jack have also been there for me when I have had health challenges and their visits to me in the hospital brightened my stay. I really can't tell you how much I appreciate their friendship. It is fun to run into them out eating sometimes and we always have too brief a visit.

I always tell Carole that she should receive a Tony Award for her work in Children's Theater but since that doesn't seem to be possible I am awarding her the first Bailey's Buddy Blog award. I salute you Carole Horowitz. Let's do lunch. And oh yes, bring Jack. j