Skip to main content

Autograph Collector's Quest for Cover Girl Ends on Sad Note


For years, Scott Smith had tried to find the woman who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on Oct. 17, 1960. Model Dolores Greer died last month.

    Robin Greer holds a photograph of her mother, model Dolores Greer, who died last month at 81. Autograph collector Scott Smith spent decades trying to track down the identity of Dolores Greer, who appeared on the cover of the Oct. 17, 1960, issue of Sports Illustrated.

The search for a Los Angeles woman who 53 years ago was a Sports Illustrated cover girl has ended sadly for a collector of autographs from cover subjects.

Model Dolores Greer, 81, died last month on the same day that cover autograph collector Scott Smith was being interviewed by The Times.

Greer's obituary appeared in Sunday's Times.

The saga of Smith's search for the model who illustrated the magazine's Oct. 17, 1960, cover story on the "new look in sports clothes" has spanned more than three decades. The retired New Jersey investment banker and corporate debt specialist has collected the signatures of 4,413 individuals who have been featured on 2,913 of the sports magazine's covers. He figures he has the autographs of 95% of all cover subjects.

Tuesday's story about Smith's search prompted Times readers to offer suggestions about who the mystery cover girl might be. It turned out that former Brentwood fashion model Julie Chandler held the answer.

Chandler, who now works in real estate, e-mailed the newspaper: "Just a guess, but if it was shot in Los Angeles, one of the top models was Dolores Greer. Just read an obituary of her in your paper. Same look."

Chandler explained that she remembered Greer because "we often modeled in some of the same fashion shows."

Greer's obituary included the names of family members. When reached, Greer's daughter Robin hadn't yet read the story about Smith's search. She quickly looked at the photograph of the mystery cover that accompanied it.

"Oh wow, it's her!" Robin Greer exclaimed. "The thing that's so interesting is that she was a big model back when you didn't have supermodels that everybody knows their name. My mother was constantly on magazine and album covers. But darn, nobody knew who she was."

Robin Greer, an actress known for her roles in TV movies and series such as "Falcon Crest" and "Ryan's Hope," now works as a Beverly Hills real estate agent.

Smith was dismayed by the news that Dolores Greer had died when he was so close to finding her and securing her signature. He was also stunned by readers' swift response.

"Oh, my goodness. This is unbelievable. I wish I'd done this two or three years ago. This is a bummer," he said.

Smith was philosophical about missing his elusive cover girl by mere days, however.

"Looking for her was a great journey and a lot of fun. It was nice to finally identify her. I'm just sorry I can't put her in my collection."

 To order my book Autograph Hell, please click HERE
For more information about my Summit Murder Mystery series, please CLICK HERE
Order my newest book Murder on Kilimanjaro by clicking HERE
Follow me on twitter, HERE
'Like' my Facebook page, HERE
Subscribe to my YouTube channel, HERE and HERE
  


Article source: LA Times

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How to Preserve your Autographed Photo Collectables

I came across this article and thought it was a good one to share!  We all know that preserving your photos is very important!  What is the point of collecting autographs if the photos become faded and start to deteriorate in a few years because you don't handle them properly?  Take a look at these autograph preservation tips! 1. Acid free is the way to go - Whether you choose plastic bags, cardboard folders or frames to display your autographs, you need to make sure that the material you use is acid free. Standard bags, folders and frames are made with materials that release acids over time. These acids can make your photographs and other memorabilia fade and disintegrate. Make sure that the products that you buy to store your autographs is clearly labeled acid-free. If the package doesn't specify that, don't trust it with your photos. 2. Keep humidity low - Humidity causes moisture which can be devastating to paper products like photographs. To keep your...

Helpful collection websites

I have many friends on Facebook that ask what are the best ways to obtain a desired autograph? More specifically I was able to help a woman who wanted an autograph from Meryl Streep. Here are some of the sites I've found to be reputable as well as helpful when looking for information. http://www.autographcollector.com/ http://www.autographworld.com/ http://www.ha.com/

James Dean’s Intimate Letters to Girlfriend Coming to Auction

Three James Dean handwritten  letters to his girlfriend, never before offered for sale, will be sold at Christie's London November 23, 2011.   I've posted the article below from Autograph Magazine .  Take a look!  James Dean handwritten letters are among the rarest and most valuable of Hollywood autographs. Only a few have come to market since Dean’s tragic death in a 1955 car crash, just 24 years old. So when Neil Roberts,  Christie’s Head of Pop Culture in London, asked for any information we might have on them to help him with a potential consignment, I had to know more. But I had to wait…. “At the moment they are reluctant to send me any copies,” Neil said. “However the names and places they provided seem to add up. I’m sure you will understand that at this time I cannot pass on any details.” That was a year and a half ago. The wait was worth it. On November 23, Christie’s will auction three James Dean handwritten letters never ...