I was told by my late father that my grandmother was Sonja Henie's seamstress. My dad grew up in Chicago. His father was a night club singer who would perform around the country. He said that my mom was Ms. Henie's seamstress and would travel with her. As a result, my dad would stay with a family by the name of Bland while his parents were away working in show business. I did not hear this story until about 10 or so years ago, when my dad revealed that his legal last name wasn't Bland but Wilson. My paternal grandmother, an African American woman, name was Elizabeth, She should have gone by Elizabeth Wilson.
↧