Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1915-05-23
FIELDING IS
GIVEN SURPRISE
On Occasion of His Birth
day is Greeted by Nearly
One Hundred Friends
at Dinner at the Hotel
Adams

Adams
Another milestone in the life of
! Romaine Fielding, manager and star
of the Arizona Lubin Moving Picture
company. was passed yesterday and
the event might have slipped the at
tention of the versatile actor but for
Il surprise birthday party. that was q
really. truly surprise to Mr.. Fielding,
! held at the Hotel Adams last evening.
! 1t was Il surprise party that came
near disaster. for the one who was
! to be the guest of the evening, busy
! with working on the details of new
plays, had for the past several days
kept well to his private offices. deny
ing himself to even his closest
friends, eager to have the work off
his hands and to be out in the open.
With every detail of the dinner well
planned. the problem that confront
ed Miss Gail Wynne, secretary of Mr..
Fielding and prime conspirator in the
birthday plot. was just how the vic
! tim was to be inveigled to the ban
quet room.
Fortune smiled however. in the per-
son of II. c. Story. superintendent of
the Santa Fe Prescott & Phoenix
oppOrtune moment. He is one of Mr..
feelings closest friends and he went
right out to the Fielding home and
inveigled the recluse from his den.
He succeeded in inducing him to
take an auto ride that wound up at
the Hotel Adams just five minutes
behind schedule time. And then be-
fore the actor knew what was trans
piring he had been uShered into the
big banquet hall where at small
| tables We're seated nearly 100 of Mr..
Fielding's own friends and acquaint
ances. together with the members of
the Lubin Arizona" company. Mr..
Fielding is Il good actor, but he
cou!d not have feigned the surprise
q that appeared upon his countenance
as be gazed about him. 1t required
the assistance of the manager of the
hotel and members of the company
to explain to him the import of the
at table with Mayor and Mrs.
George L. Young, Mr.. and Mrs. ]. ].
Sweeney and Mrs. Fen s Hildredth.
There he remained silent for fully
, ten minutes. Later he admitted that
foi- the first time in his life he knew
.vhat stage fright meant.
! The gathering was representative
> C the friends and business and social
aCuuaintances Mr.. Fielding has form
/ ed since bringing his company to
( Phoenix. Many brought birthday re-
membranes and these were grouped
upon a large table decorated with the
Ti.r"st of flowers. Upon the occasion
&c the formal presentation to Mr..
Ticidin2 of a solid silver riding spur.
Mr. FIELDING made his only speech"
lie said: Il am very grateful
That's all
One of the most impressive mo-
ments of the evening came when
there was presented to Mr.. Fielding
"A handsomely engraved scroll COM
memoratinS an event that came near
ending in the death not only of the
manage actor. but of several mem
bers of his company we'll 1t was
on April 10, that Mr.. Fielding, driv-
ing his big car on the road to ROose-
welt Dam. had just negotiated the
J Fish Creek hill when something went
wrong with the stearing gear. The
great car with its passengers plung-
| ed toward the edge of the cliff. With
great presence of mind, Mr. Fielding
worked the necessary levers and
! brought the car to standstill just
when the front wheels had already
rEaC ned the edge. Bc We 1OllOWerS OF
me, even as l also am of Christ"
! lead the inscription. This quotation
! from | Corinthians, III. appeared
also on the pages Of n New Testa-
rnent al the top of the scroll There
were words of gratitude expressed be-
low and the whole was signed by
Winnie Burns, l.. Guy Wilky. Gail
Wynne, Jack Lawton, Robert A.
! Turnbull. Henry Russell, y. Minium
and Noble johnson.
| Another pleasing gift was that of a
| full uniform of the Knights Templar.
as well as of the Shriners. given by
, the entire company.
| Besse's orchestra rendered pleasing
music during the dinner and for the
dancing that followed Mayor Young
made an address in which he con-
graduated Mr.. Fielding having
reached the highest round of the lad
der of moving picture fame and said
, that Phoenix was indeed fortunate
and proud of having him for one of
it's citizens. During the course of the
/ dinner Mr.. Fielding left his seat fire.
! quently and visited with the guests
at the various tables He expressed
his deepest appreciation of the tri
| butte paid him and said it was the
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