*Post written by James Wethington, library assistant of the University Archives and Special Collections.

Multiple events occurred in 1992 such as: Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush for the U.S. Presidency (Levy, 2014), the 1992 Summer Olympics commenced in Barcelona, Spain (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2015) and the 1992 Winter Olympics commenced in Albertville, France (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016), riots in Los Angeles after the exoneration of four police officers in the Rodney King beating (Wallenfeldt, 2015), Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida, Louisiana, and the Bahamas as a category five storm (Rafferty, 2011), and many more.

Welborn Foundation Benefit, 1992 (Debbie Reynolds was the guest performer)

Back in Evansville, the Welborn Foundation produced their annual benefit at the Vanderburgh Auditorium, presently-known as the Old National Events Plaza. In 1992, their performer was none other than singer and actress, Debbie Reynolds. The Welborn Foundation was a part of Welborn Memorial Baptist Hospital, which began in 1894 as the Evansville Sanitarium; however, St. Mary’s Medical Center brought Welborn Baptist Hospital in March 1999 (Welborn Baptist Foundation, n.d.). There were two foundations: Welborn and Welborn Baptist; moreover, they were used differently. For example, the Welborn Baptist Foundation was “… reated to preserve the Baptist heritage of the hospital” (Welborn Baptist Foundation, n.d.). In 2005, the Welborn and Welborn Baptist Foundations were combined into one as the Welborn Baptist Foundation; nevertheless, “… the Foundation exists to support both the geographies and the missions previously and proudly served by Welborn Memorial Baptist Hospital” (Welborn Baptist Foundation, n.d.).

Debbie Reynolds was born as Mary Frances Reynolds on April 1, 1932 in El Paso, Texas (Sparks, 2016). Reynolds proved she was a force to be reckoned with on the silver screen and television screen. She appeared in numerous films such as Singin’ in the Rain (1952), The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), Charlotte’s Web (1973); however, she was featured on various television shows such as The Debbie Reynolds Show (1969-1970) and Will and Grace (1999-2006) as Grace Adler’s mother, Bobbi (Sparks, 2016). Reynolds was married three times to Eddie Fisher from 1955 to 1959 (Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher came from this marriage), Harry Karl from 1960 to 1973, and Richard Hamlett from 1984 to 1996 (Hamel & O’Connor, n.d.). Reynolds passed away on December 28, 2016 in Los Angeles, California (Sparks, 2016).

This ticket stub is in the Larry Aiken collection, which is located in the University Archives and Special Collection on the 3rd floor of Rice Library.

References

Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, The. (2016). Albertville 1992 Olympic Winter Games. Retrieved January 3, 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Albertville-1992-Olympic-Winter-Games

Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. (2015). Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. Retrieved January 3, 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Barcelona-1992-Olympic-Games

Hamel, R., & O’Connor, D. (n.d.). Debbie Reynolds: Biography. Retrieved January 3, 2017, from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001666/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Levy, M. (2014). United States presidential election of 1992. Retrieved January 3, 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1992

Rafferty, J. P. (2011). Hurricane Andrew. Retrieved January 3, 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Hurricane-Andrew

Sparks, K. (2016). Debbie Reynolds. Retrieved January 3, 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Debbie-Reynolds

Wallenfeldt, J. (2015). Los Angeles Riots of 1992. Retrieved January 3, 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Los-Angeles-Riots-of-1992

Welborn Baptist Foundation. (n.d.). Legacy. Retrieved January 3, 2017, from http://www.welbornfdn.org/legacy