Carpenters Fan Club Newsletter #77
IN REMEMBRANCE
--- KAREN ANNE CARPENTER ---
   FEBRUARY 4th. 1983
--- by Rev. Charles Neal.---

Dear Friends,

We come here today to remember and to cherish the life of Karen Carpenter -- loved one, friend and companion in the story of our lives.

In the course of these days, the farthest thing from our minds and hearts has happened. No one can begin to express the sadness and sorrow that is felt here, and is being felt around the world: a spontaneous outpouring of love and grief for one of God's truly talented and gifted daughters who has died so young at 32 years of age.

Into every nook and cranny of this global village the sad news travels yet, and the world weeps. For Karen's story is one that has graced this world with life, with love, and with a song.

Part I
The place to begin, of course, to talk about Karen's story is the place of birth, home of Harold, Agnes, Richard, and Joan, where

On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true.
Fred Buechner, (quoting a line from the poet Dylan Thomas), calls it "once below time"; the time of childhood when all time is now time, and a day at the beach never ends, and life is formed and fashioned in the crucible of love, family and friends.

As Buechner says: "...the time the rabbit bit your finger, the time you had your first taste of bananas and cream, the time when you were crying yourself to sleep when somebody came and lay down beside you in the dark for comfort."

Yes, the time when Karen balanced blue jeans, baseball, and ballet in a timeless moment of love, family and friends.

Yes, the place to begin, "once below time", when the gift of life was received with gratitude and joy, and Karen graced the life of her family and friends, even as they graced her life with love and loyalty.

It was our privilege as a family to share life with Karen and her family in those years when childhood turned into teens. Karen and Richard were teenagers in our church and Methodist Youth Fellowship at Bark Methodist Church, welcoming us with their parents to New Haven as we came there to attend Yale, and I became their pastor: the younger than young days for us all, filled with fun and frolic interspersed with a few serious moments -- evenings spent in the basement of their home with Ping-Pong sets, hi-fi, baseballs, and more records than I had ever seen; our two girls finding in Karen a friend, baby-sitter and confidante; Christmas carols on snowy Christmas Eves in New England, home of our pilgrim fathers and mothers.

And then "once below time" ended somewhere along the way for all of us, and the tapestry of time caught us all up as the Carpenters moved to California, -and we returned to Texas.

As any father who has had daughters knows as well as he knows anything else, you never are just 16, but always 16 going on 17. By that time Karen's story reached beyond family and friends into the public domain:

the drums at Downey High School,
the years at CA State University at Long Beach,
the Battle of the Bands at the Hollywood Bowl,
A & M Records,
until, as we know, she has captured the world's friendship and love. Even though the intervening years have also been 16, going on 17, it still does seem like only yesterday that

We've Only Just Begun To Live
White lace and promises
A kiss for luck and we're on our way
And yes, We've Just Begun.
Before the rising sun we fly
So many roads to choose
We start out walking and learn to run
And yes, We've Just Begun.
Sharing horizons that are new to us
Watching the signs along the way
Talking it over just the two of us
Working together day to day
Together.
And when the evening comes we smile
So much of life ahead
We'll find a place where there's room to grow
And yes, We've Just Begun.
Our paths crossed again when we were invited with others to be on This Is Your Life honoring Karen and Richard, and this indeed is the story of their lives -- that in the midst of unimaginable success, we were welcomed by them and their family as friends, with whom the intervening years seemed but a day gone by. Truly a quality of life and friendship that is so meaningful and significant in this world.

Since then, Karen's life has continued to unfold: a unique and beautiful tapestry woven with all the experiences of life:
a tapestry at once joyous and furious;
a tapestry filled with the joy of time,
but also the tyranny of time;
the joy of success, but also the
tyranny of success;
the joy of life, but also the
tyranny of life;
yes and no!
joy and sorrow,
laughter and tears,
limelight and loneliness,
love and heartache,
health and illness,
triumph and tragedy,
quietness and fury;
always the tapestry of time: the quest for life and life's meaning in the midst of all that time and life bring; a beautiful tapestry weaving Karen's life into a story that graced this world with life and love.

Part II
But if Karen graced this world with life and love, she also graced this weary world with a song.

Yes. A song. A new song. Serendipity! For suddenly, in the midst of the rock era, the world was graced with a new song. a new sound it had never heard before, sung and played by the Carpenters: A Ticket To Ride, Close To You, We've Only Just Begun, For All We Know, Touch Me When We're Dancing, I Need To Be In Love, There's A Kind Of Hush, Those Good Old Dreams .... until now, some 80 million records later, 10 gold singles, 8 gold albums, 5 platinum albums, 3 Grammies. . . and concerts around the world, there is no place on this earth where Karen is not singing, singing, singing; a loving, sparkling, joyful voice lifted above this weary world in it's perennial quest for life; a voice that accompanied all of us along our way, and never more than on Rainy Days And Mondays that always get us down., and yet didn't get us down because Karen was singing in our homes and in our cars on the crowded expressways, and at our offices.

And yes, Karen singing for us too at Christmas time, carols of joy: Merry Christmas Darling, Jingle Bells, I'll Be Home For Christmas, Winter Wonderland, O Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night.... ending with the always beautiful Ave Maria, until somehow, for us and others, around millions of Yuletide gatherings and fireplaces, Karen cradled the Christ Child anew for us in song.

Someone has said: What we love, we shall grow to resemble. What Karen loved she has indeed come to resemble, until Karen herself has become a song to the world; yes, Karen's life itself, a song to the world: a song of love and joy and beauty.

Ralph Waldo Emerson has written: Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting -- a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.

The world has indeed welcomed such beauty in the life of Karen Carpenter. whose story has become a beautiful song to the world. And we thank God for her as a cup of blessing--a wayside sacrament.

Part III
My friends, as we gather here, we are aware of the joy and beauty of Karen's life, but we are also aware of and saddened by her untimely death, "too soon and too young" as John Bettis has written so poignantly.

With every fiber of our being, we cry out, Why? -- yea, storming the very gates of heaven for an answer.

And yet, God does not give us answers; he gives us Himself to be with us here, on the streets where we live; here, where "once below time" becomes the tapestry of time, and the time also, "too soon and too young".

Yes! God gives Himself to us and bears all things with us, all of us with her life; the One who has sustained her life in all it's too short years; is now the One who receives her unto Himself -- embracing her as the One who loved her into life, and who loves her now for all eternity.

Paul caught a glimpse of it: If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord, so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.

And again: For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Yes. God gives us Himself.

And God has also given us Karen. As John Bettis said so well:

Too soon and too young

Our Karen is still

But her echo

Will linger

Forever....

In response to the overwhelming requests for donations in Karen's memory, the Carpenter family extend their deep appreciation to interested friends who would like to donate to one of the following established memorials of their choice:

Scholarship for talented musicians at CA State University of Long Beach.
Anorexia Nervosa Research.


Carpenters Fan Club Newsletter #78 - July, 1983
 
Hello Friends,

This letter is being written by your old friend, Evelyn. I regret to say that at the present time, Rosina is in the hospital at the bedside of her critically ill husband, John.

The Carpenter family and their staff send their sincere thanks to you for the numerous cards and letters sent at the time of Karen's passing. We thank you for the Masses said for Karen and for the contributions you made to various charitable organizations in her memory. We thank you for the beautiful floral arrangements you sent and are still sending to her crypt in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cypress. We sincerely appreciate the contributions you have made to the Karen A. Carpenter Memorial Foundation which will benefit both talented musicians and anorexia nervosa research.

On a brighter side, Richard sends word that the new Carpenters album will be released in Sept. Watch for VOICE OF THE HEART at your local music stores. Richard has spent the previous three months completing the album which was in progress at the time of Karen's passing. A new single will be released this summer.

Karen's childhood friends in New Haven, Connecticut held a beautiful Memorial Service at the Marquand Chapel at Yale University. She was eulogized by Frank Bonito and Debra Vaiuso Cuticello. The following excerpts are from the eulogy voiced by Debra.

"There was a time when I thought I'd never see my best friend ever again! California was just too far away. I remember that day vividly. Harold, Agnes, Richard and Karen all packed and California bound. They drove away. We never got a chance to ask each other what we'd like to be when we grew up.
"Our families grew up close together, our parents seemed to enjoy the hard work American ethic and shared the same values. Richard was 2 years older than my brother, Joey and Karen was 2 years older than me. Our ages made family outings fun. Hall Street was a great neighborhood to grow up in. All middle class, industrious and proud. There were some great times - birthday parties, Christmas gatherings and sibling rivalry. This was all part of the growing up process... a lot of fun to remember.
"The Carpenters would send us pictures and keep us up to date on their music progress; local newsclips, letters, phone calls and cassette tapes all kept the line of communication open. Karen and Richard always found their way home here in the East.
"I remember one Saturday night during my high school years, Karen and Richard sprang a surprise visit while on business in New York. We spent the weekend together. They always knew they were welcome. They always felt comfortable here. It was just like home.
"Some time later the Carpenter family visited New Haven shortly before the release of their new album. They autographed their first copy and gave it to my parents. We kept in touch exchanging birthday cards, Christmas cards and greetings... I'll never forget the time I forgot to send my birthday card (to Karen) on time, she called me to ask me where her card was!
"It meant alot to her to keep up these private traditions. Frank and I had the opportunity to visit California at the invitation of the Carpenters. They wined and dined us, sparing no expense, giving us a first class California tour. This was my first time away from home, and yet I felt comfortable in their stately and spacious home.
"In 1973 my parents visited California at the request of the Carpenter family and had a chance to sample what the California fun life was all about. They loved to talk about the great times they had raising their children.
"In 1979 Karen called me asking if she could spend the weekend. She was recording a solo album in New York and wanted a chance to get away and enjoy some good Italian home cooked meals. I remember the big limo driving down my driveway and I wondered what her thoughts would be about the quiet little town of Guilford. She loved the quiet and comfort. From then on KC visited us monthly - a home away from home.
"In February 1980 my husband and I visited California again. In the back of my mind I knew that she admired my marriage. I secretly wished that someday soon she would find a husband to share her life with too. Magically, during a surprise mid-week phone call, KC, sounding excited, said "Deb, guess what? I'm getting married and I want you to be a bridesmaid." It was like an invitation to Cinderella's ball; a fantasy come to life. It was an honor to be a member of her bridal party; and quite exciting to be socializing with all the Hollywood Stars.
"The next surprise phone call from KC was the morning I had given birth to my son, Jamie. I had just been placed in my hospital room when the phone rang. We often had ESP episodes. The Carpenter family visited my new family nine weeks later, specifically to visit my new born son. He was so special to KC - since the beginning of my pregnancy. She never forgot to send Jamie a card or gifts on special occasions. For his first birthday, she designed his name in a clown design in needlepoint, to match his room - truly a gift of love. The time and talent was endless, giving and wanting nothing in return but an exchange of warm and genuine friendship.
"We continued our weekly phone calls. They came to visit us in Guilford again in January. On January 25th, while watching the Olivia Newton-John Special on HBO, I called KC to tell her how much I enjoyed it. She sounded so great, full of energy, vigor and excitement. She seemed to (have) pulled herself together and (was) ready to start a new lease on life. I asked her for some new photographs. We exchanged hugs and kisses. I received those photos on Saturday, February 5th, the day after her death.
"KC wherever you are, you are at peace. Sleep in the warmth of God's presence as I remember the warmth of your friendship."
Debra Vaiuso, this is a beautiful tribute to a beautiful lady.

The eulogy spoken by Frank Bonito will be printed in the next newsletter. Evelyn.


Carpenters Fan Club Newsletter #79 - October, 1983

Hello Friends!

This is your old friend Ev, sitting in for Rosina.

It is with deep regret that I bring you the news of the death of Rosina's beloved husband John Sullivan. After a lingering illness, John succumbed on September 3rd. His lovely funeral service on September 10th included a tape of Ave Maria sung by Karen, and the Twenty Third Psalm rendered by Richard.

There have been many Carpenter happenings, and there are more to come, the release date for the new Carpenters album Voice Of The Heart has been set for October 17th. You will be delighted with the beautiful picture of Karen on the front cover, as well as the one of Richard at his piano on the back cover; and you will be thrilled once again at the sound of Karen's magnificent voice. The single Make Believe It's Your First Time should be in your music stores right now.

A lovely tribute to Karen was presented by Richard and the Long Beach State Choir on June 25th. In the historic Sanctuary of the First Congregational Church of Long Beach. Singer Dennis Heath and dancer Bobby Burgess were among the concert performers, as well as lyricist John Bettis who offered two songs.

Mom, Dad and Richard spent several days in Baltimore, Maryland visiting their relatives before they flew to Tennessee for the dedication of the Strolee Plant in Church Hill. Strolee, manufacturers of baby strollers, high chairs, play pens, car seats and swings, named their new Church Hill complex "The Karen Carpenter Plant". Dedication ceremonies took place September 21st. A plaque installed on the building near the front entrance reads; "Strolee lovingly dedicates this building to Karen Carpenter, our fellow shareholder and Strolee enthusiast, 'She sang for the hearts of us all. Too soon and too young our Karen is still, but her echo will linger forever June 1983". Richard was honored to unveil the plaque, and Werner Wolfen, Carpenters business manager gave a heart-warming talk on beloved Karen. The family left Tennessee amid a heavy downpour of rain.

On October 12th a Star to honor the Carpenters will be unveiled on the famous Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk. It will be located between the names of Jon Hall and Glenn Ford, between Orange Drive and Mann's Chinese Theater. The unveiling ceremony will take place at 12:30 p.m.

The Carpenter family has also been invited to appear on both Good Morning America and 20/20. The Good Morning America segment will be taped in November, but no air date has been scheduled for either program, so watch your TV Guides.

As I write this letter, Richard is making preparations for overseas trips. He will leave this week-end for London, England where he is scheduled to appear on talk shows, and give a number of interviews. He will return home in time for the Hollywood Star ceremonies on the 12th then he will be off again to Australia and Japan for more talk shows and interviews.

We are happy to announce that Rosina celebrated her tenth year with the Carpenters on September 19th. It has been a pleasure to have her on our staff. Congratulations Rosina!

Lustrous gold lettering has now been placed on the Carpenter crypt in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cypress. The simple but fitting epitaph chosen by the family reads: "Karen 1950 - 1983, A star on earth - A star in heaven".

The Carpenter family, and all members of the staff take this opportunity to wish each of you very Happy Holidays. May your Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah and New Year be extremely pleasurable, and may you enjoy them in good health. Ev.