One Degree of Separation

In New Orleans there is truly only one degree of separation. Last night, for example, the Queen of Carrollton was the daughter of a lovely lady who worked as my producer on radio 27 years ago. For those of you who remember Frasier, she was my Roz. She would answer the phone for callers who wanted to converse on the air and would make sure that the correct advertising would run at the appointed time. Over the course of the next several years, I would see her and her husband out to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House or other local haunts. Later, she became an actress in several local productions and her husband also started appearing in leading roles such as "Lend Me a Tenor." In the meantime he also became a well-known attorney who advertised regularly over television. His career took off, but he still found time to do several local productions prior to Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile, he and his wife had divorced, but I would still see her in local productions from time to time. After she remarried, she lived in Alabama and tried to make a life for her and her husband there. I was surprised to learn at last year's Carrollton ball that her daughter would be queen this year, but very happy for her. In fact she was Queen of Carrollton herself 33 years ago, four years prior to becoming my producer. One of the the members of her daughter's court, a maid, is also the granddaughter of a former colleague (now deceased) on yet another radio station. And tonight I am seeing "Grease" at Rivertown Repertory Theatre in Kenner. Teen Angel is being played by the Queen of Carrollton's father (the attorney). Like I said...one degree.