Speedy gets grilled Wonder Woman

Carson City horn player Speedy Garfin says he has talked to two television networks about his association with former Wonder Woman Lynda Carter.

Speedy gave Lynda her start back in 1971 when he spotted her at Sahara Tahoe playing with a group called the Relatives.

"The first time I saw her I thought she was too inexperienced," said the 67-year-old sax player. "I saw her again six months later and her stage presence had improved quite a bit."

Lynda was 19 when she joined Speedy in the Garfin Gathering.

"She was a singer, but nobody cared as long as she was up there," he said.

A photo Speedy brought shows he and Lynda, along with Gathering members Dennis Bush and Wayne Yeager, hanging out at the Mapes Hotel for New Year's Eve 1971.

Speedy said both Lifetime and E! Hollywood Television interviewed him for pieces they were doing on Lynda.

However, the Lifetime interview was done just before Sept. 11 and the piece was shelved.

The E! interview happened a few weeks ago.

Speedy has lived in Carson City for 22 years and occasionally can be seen performing in Carson City.

He came to Nevada with Don Rickles in the 1960s from New York where they were working in a nightclub together.

"I was more backup," he said. "There was very little music to do with it."

Speedy's played the Mapes, the Sahara Tahoe, the Mint in Las Vegas.

"I've been playing Nevada lounges for 42 years," he said.

Today, Speedy is married to Coldwell Banker Realtor Laura Garfin.

"I can back off from playing the casinos now," he said. "But I still enjoy going to the Catskills and Florida."

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The former Patricia Moran-Stark (Newcombe) has traded in her three names for just one.

On Valentine's Day, the blushing 82-year-old bride married Ralph D. Barrett, age 85.

Patricia used to work for the Nevada Appeal. She found useful employment by starting Sierra Land Realty in 1973.

She and Jim Wilson, president of the Sierra Board of Realtors, have the longest active office in Carson City.

Pat said she and Ralph dated briefly in 1975, but he said she was too busy starting the business.

Both Pat and Ralph have lived in Carson City since the mid-1930s. The bride and groom will live in her Carson City home while renovations on the house where he has lived for 52 years are completed.

Pat is one of the founders of the Nevada Landmark Society and is looking forward to helping Ralph with his house.

Most people don't shower in the kitchen, but the good people at Dayspring Christian Assembly down in Gardnerville are throwing a kitchen shower for the woman's shelter opening up in Carson Valley.

"They've given us their colors and everybody is donating kitchen items," Sue Bennett said.

The shower is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the church, located at 974 Tillman Lane in the Gardnerville Ranchos.

"We thought it would be good to get people aware of what they are doing," Sue said.

Capitol Bureau chief Geoff Dornan shipped me an item he received on his e-mail from Tom Ladd, education coordinator of the New Hampshire State Library about a numerical oddity we may not have noticed.

Wednesday at 8:02 p.m., the number 2002 was repeated in the time, date and year.

In military time, 8:02 is 2002, the date was 20/02/2002. The last time this happened was 10:01 a.m. on Jan. 10, 1001. No word on whether anyone took notice, as the sun dial was a little weak in telling one minute from another.

Patty Cafferata sent us a note about one of the items in Bill Dolan's column about Uncle George Tufly's 36th wedding anniversary.

Uncle George was Nevada's fifth state treasurer, taking office in 1883. The Swiss native was only one of three treasurers born in other countries. He was a banker associated with the Carson City Bank and owned the St. Charles Hotel.

Health concerns required him to resign his post in 1890. Both he and his wife, Sophia, are buried in Lone Mountain Cemetery.

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Jennifer Zabelsky, daughter of Fightin' Tiger Band Director Mr. Z, won the Southwest Division in the Music Teachers National Association collegiate vocal competition.

Now she will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she will compete as a national finalist. Jennifer is a junior at the University of Nevada, Reno and has been studying voice under Katherine DeBoer.

Kurt Hildebrand is assistant managing editor of the Nevada Appeal. Call him at 881-1215 or e-mail him at Kurt@tahoe.com