Palm Springs Walk of Stars to Honor Actress Loretta Young with 335th Star on May 19

Contact: Amy Blaisdell Communications Director (760) 323-8250

May 17, 2011

Former Palm Springs resident Loretta Young will be honored with the 335th Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars on Thursday, May 19.

The 2 p.m. ceremony at 121 S. Palm Canyon Drive will be hosted by Palm Springs Mayor pro tem Lee Weigel and Robert Alexander, President of the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.

The legendary actress and humanitarian, who passed away in August of 2000, may be best known for her Academy Award-winning performance in the 1947 film, “The Farmer’s Daughter,” and for her television show, “.”

Young had a long history with Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. The desert became a favorite getaway for Young, who at the age of 16, was discovered in Palm Springs during a publicity junket while staying at the famed El Mirador Hotel, now Desert Regional Medical Center.

Through the ensuing decades, the Oscar-winning actress frequently escaped to Palm Springs for rest and relaxation. With her close friend, actress , Young frequently attended St. Louis Catholic Church in Cathedral City. She also arranged for a retired priest to say daily mass in the chapel at Desert Regional Medical Center, which the hospital dedicated to her in 2002. The actress also frequently arranged personalized baskets of treats to be delivered anonymously to patients at Desert Regional -- and today many families fondly remember Young for the special care and compassion shown them when a loved one was in the hospital.

“The City of Palm Springs and the Palm Springs Walk of Stars are proud to honor the remarkable Loretta Young with a prestigious Golden Palm Star,” said Weigel. “For more than seven decades, Loretta Young was not only a tremendous presence on the silver screen, she was a tremendous presence in the Palm Springs community and we are thrilled to pay tribute to her for her extraordinary talent and generosity.”

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