November 8, 1952

Miss Marian Anderson,
Route 1,
Danbury, Connecticut.

Dear Marian Anderson,

There is a charming drawing of you in my new
book of Negro history and achievement, "The
First Book of Negroes", for which the publishers,
Franklin Watts, are giving a party at their new
offices, 699 Madison Avenue, from 5:30 to 8 P.M.
on Wednesday, November 12th. They have sent you
(as a part of our living history) an invitation.
I do hope you and your husband can come.

With continued good wishes ever,

P.S. Please do not take busy time out to answer this
note. (I know what a chore mail can be!)

(Sent both to N. Y. and Danbury, with
Gilbert's address enclosed).

August 24, 1964

Dear Marian Anderson!

I hope this note will not be an intrusion upon your
time and what I know to be your kindness and generosity.
But the producer of my JERICO JIM CROW, Stella Holt, told
me that at the Frederick March's, you very much liked the
performance of the young baritone, Gilbert Price and that
(I believe) you asked for his telephone number.

I have not seen Gilbert since the performance, and he
does not know that I know you were there, so this note is
entirely without his knowledge or solicitation. But I
thought you might be interested in knowing something about
him, since he is really quite an unusual youngster. He is
just 21, but seems like a teenager---until one knows him
and finds that he is quite well disciplined for a boy that
age, and since high school has been working in the enter-
tainment field (Belafonte Singers and Leonard DePaur groups)
and making his own living. He has no financial help from,
(no father about) and, in fact, contributes when he can to
the household expenses---a mother, two younger children, and
a wonderful old West Indian grandmother.

He has had almost no musical or dramatic training so is,
I suppose, what you might call a "natural," since theatre
audiences love him and, even when stuck in the back of a
chorus, he has a happy kind of projection that seems to reach
out to people. That is how I discovered him for my show, in
the chorus of FLY, BLACKBIRDS, just there, nothing outstand-
ing to do, yet he stood out in a smiling kind of way, and his
voice topped everybody's. He has in my show, his first acting
part---and received exceptional comments from the critics.
Aside from his natural theatre abilities, he is for these days
and times, a rather unusual young man, devoutly religious,
and soes not drink or swear. He says he thinks "swearing does
not become" him. The wholesomeness which he projects from the
stage is really a part of his own personality---in spite of the
fact that he has a diabetic problem since childhood, but which
he manages to control pretty well diet wise. This I tell you
in case he might be eligible for some sort of fellowship aid.
He has indicated to me that when the Shakespeare-in-the-Park
season is over (he plays the Lion in Midsummer's Night Dream)
this fall he wants to begin studies at Julliard to get a basic
musical knowledge and background which he feels (truthfully) he
lacks. Sergius Kagen, the composer I knew at Julliard, died
recently, so I myself know no one there I might approach about
scholarship aid. But this Gilbert would need to enable him to
study. I personally think he would be quite worthy, both as
a person and as a potentially fine artist, of any help he might
receive. He works hard and seems entirely honest and dependable,
and a fellow whom everybody seems to like.