where he competed in the National Forensics League national competition and came in sixth. It is difficultto determine who had the greater influ­ ence on whom. Did Dean become the theatrical giant that he was because of Mrs. Nall's urging, or did ex­ posure to Dean make her more of what she is today? Probably a bit of both. Her reminiscences in this issue provide readers with some basis fo r judgment. "I remember one time when Jim was in high school, and we were staging a play and I cast him as an old man. He came to me and said, 'Mrs. Nall, you don't know anything about casting; I'm a perfect juvenile.' "When I get to heaven, I'm going to say, 'Jim, look what you did in Giant. Do you still think I don't know anything about casting?' " Speaking at a tribute to Dean on the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death, actor said, "With my generation he had the most influence of any­ body. He was unquestionably the most incredible actor who ever lived. Somebody said that was the greatest actor of that generation. They said Marlon changed the way people acted. That may be true, but James Dean changed the way people lived.''

.. There's not one of them that tells what jimmy was really like. He was a cute An estimated 3,000 people attended Dean's funeral service on 8 Oc­ tober 1955. Pallbearers Paul M. Smith, Bob Pulley, Bob Middleton, little boy. He was pretty. Oh, everybody James Fulkerson, Rex Bright, and Whitey Rust were all classmates of Dean at Fairmount High School. loved him." Aunt Ortense Winslow 1987, she was cast as Ethel Thayer in a Marion Civic Theater production of On Golden Po nd. In a 1974 pro­ Dean himself, shortly before his death, assessed his duction of The Curious Savage by this same company, she performance, "Most of us have more than one choice and had the line, "As a girl, I was sure I could be a great I chose to be what I am, rather than remain a fa rm boy actress ...." back in Indiana. Despite endless odds and issues along the way, I've never regretted it.'' n February of 1955 Dean, a star on the rise, re­ Dean may never have regretted leaving Indiana, but turned to Fairmount-for the finaltime-in the then he took much that was important to his success company of Life magazine photographer Dennis with him when he left, not least of which was a confi­ Stock. Dean stopped to talk with Mrs. Na ll, then dence in his talents that was instilled in him by his a middle-aged teacher still harboring acting as­ high school speech teacher. pirations of her own. "I said, 'Jim, do you think I should Aunt Ortense Winslow, speaking about her nephew go to New Yo rk?' We ll, he gave me a long speech on how in 1975, said "There's not a one of them that tells what much of an art acting is, and then he said, 'By all Jimmy was really like. He was a cute little boy. He was means.' " She did, and spent two years in New Yo rk, pretty. Oh, everybody loved him.'' achieving some success in off-Broadway productions. It was Ortense, who, in the company of Marcus and She was in New Yo rk on that September afternoon their two children brought Dean to Marion in the fa m­ when Dean took his Porsche Spyder up the coast high­ ily's new 1949 Ford in late June, kissed him goodbye at way in California and collided with a car driven by the railroad station, and watched the train head west Donald Turnupseed. "Jim's death affected what I was to California. It would be only six years until he re­ trying to do," she said, explaining her return to Fair­ turned to his place along Sand Pike. mount High School and her English classroom. For six years of junior high and high school, she taught him Ed Breen is Fe atures Editor of the Ma rion Chronicle­ everything she knew about the craft, defended him Tribune. He has been an Indiana newspaperman fo r when he got into trouble, and urged him to greater chal­ twenty-three years and has written numerous articles lenges. She accompanied him to Longmont, Colorado, on James Dean.

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