In memory of Suzanne Gibson

My friend Suzanne Gibson passed away in 2010. She was from California, but was living in Richmond when we began to correspond. I was lucky enough to have one of her pocelain Little Girl Dolls in my collection, and she emailed me a photo of a sister doll, and sent me an autographed copy of her book about The Kalico Kids. The little girl has always been a favorite of mine; my dad paid $47.50 for her in 1970 in Knotts Berry Farm; he says his hand still hurts. The legend was that the doll was only made three times, then Suzanne broke the mould. She neither confirmed nor denied this claim. She was a member of NIADA, and I was thrilled to have this doll, especially since I was barely ten. Later, I added a vinyl Kalico Kid, and many years later, another. These look porcelain and are excellent. My mom and I bought other Reeves Internationa dolls by Suzanne, and she liked it when I kept track of the prices her dolls were bringing. Her website is still up, and there arem ore storeis about her. R. Lane Herron has a good article about her in Spinning Wheel's complete book of dolls, Ed. Albert Christian Revi. Here are some photos of dolls in my collection. I miss her, and think of her often. She was a trained ballerina, and her dolls are always graceful and haunting. It was an honor to have known her.