November 2, 2007
A Broadway Legend's Legacy
Some day, when an actor belts out “You Gotta Have Heart!” from the 1955 musical Damn Yankees, Temple University and its new center for musical theater will benefit, thanks to an unusual gift.
Joy Abbott, an alumna of Temple who was married to the Broadway impresario George Abbott, has bequeathed to Temple her share of the rights to Damn Yankees, The Pajama Game, and dozens of other works written or produced by her husband.
University officials say the gift, which would not go to the university until after her death, is now worth at least $6-million.
The university said it would use the money to establish a new interdisciplinary center named for Joy and George Abbott, at its Boyer College.
Ms. Abbott, (who was known by her maiden name Joy Valderrama during her first 25 years with Mr Abbott because they didn’t marry until 1983) also donated some of his theater memorabilia , which includes his original scripts for Pal Joey, The Boys from Syracuse, and several of his seven Tony Awards. Mr. Abbott died in 1995 at the age of 107.
The gift was announced last month at a reception at Sardi’s in New York’s theater district, with such Broadway notables as Hal Prince, Tommy Tune, Tovah Feldshuh, and Heather Randall in attendance, according to a story in Playbill magazine.
“I always wanted to ensure George’s legacy was preserved in a way that would benefit future generations,” the magazine quoted Ms. Abbott as saying. “And this is a way to tribute his legacy and dedication to mentoring young artists.”
Goldie Blumenstyk | Posted on Friday November 2, 2007 | PermalinkComments
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M. Abbott died at the age of 107 . . . and still left a widow! I wish that the article had mentioned her age. Phil Schwartz
— Phil Schwartz Nov 5, 10:30 AM #