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 Dorothy J. Foose
December 30, 2001
Dorothy Jane Foose, 82, formerly of 1540 West St., died Sunday at Timberlyn Heights Nursing Care Center in Great Barrington, where she had resided since 1999. She moved to Pittsfield in 1997.
Born in Mount Vernon, Ill., on June 30, 1919, daughter of Ernest and Margaret M. Davis Kell, she was a 1937 Phi Beta Kappa honors graduate of Northwestern University. A gifted vocalist, pianist and trumpet player, she had leading roles in numerous college musicals. Following graduation she moved to New York City to pursue a career in music.
She became a member of the chorus in a new Rodgers and Hammerstein production called "Green Grow the Lilacs," which was later renamed "Oklahoma" when it opened on Broadway, minus Dorothy Foose, who had left the cast to marry Richard M. Foose on Feb. 11, 1929.
She continued to pursue her love of music while raising a family and traveling the world with her husband, a world-renowned geologist. Living near Lancaster, Pa., Mrs. Foose became a pioneer performer in the emerging medium of television. She hosted a musical program, "Songs for You," on television station WGAL, where she captivated audiences with her lilting soprano voice and the occasional antics of her young children.
In 1957, she moved to Palo Alto, Calif., and became a regular with the Pacific Light Opera Company of San Francisco. In 1963, she moved to Amherst, where she continued to perform. One of her most popular presentations was a concert based on her world travels, which she called "Bridges Music Has Built."
While she, her husband and youngest daughter were traveling in 1968 in Czechoslovakia, the Russians invaded the country. Confronted by Russian tanks while trying to escape across the border, Mrs. Foose used her fluent Russian to convince the soldiers to let them pass.
She also taught English to Cambodian families who had moved to the region. She was active in her church and helped immigrant families to find jobs, pursue education, and become assimilated. In addition, she and her husband established numerous scholarships to help deserving young people in many countries attend college.
Her husband died Nov. 26, 1994.
She leaves two daughters, Michele Page of Harvard and Terri Williams of Castle Rock, Colo.; two sons, Michael Foose of Reston, Va., and Stephan Foose of Pittsfield; nine grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
A memorial service will be Saturday, Jan. 5, at 2 at the First Congregational Church of Amherst, 165 Main St., Amherst. In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the Foster Parent Plan, c/o the WELLINGTON FUNERAL HOME, 220 East St., Pittsfield, MA 01201, which is in charge of arrangements.
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