Sylvia Mars?

Subject: Sylvia Mars?
From: Mary Katherine
Date: 28 Jul 05 - 11:48 AM

Anyone have any contact info for Sylvia Mars, or know whether she is still with us?

Subject: RE: Sylvia Mars?
From: Mary Katherine
Date: 19 Mar 12 - 10:14 PM

Refresh, still wondering.

Subject: RE: Sylvia Mars?
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 06:18 PM

Hi MK,
Is this the Sylvia Mars recorded by Dr. Harry Oster for his
Folk-Lyric label FL-124 (previously Louisiana Folklore Society) ?
If yes, Chris Strachwitz at Down Home Music/Arhoolie/Foundation might have contact information as they acquired the Folk Lyric label.
What is the reason for your interest?
Cheers, Thomas.

Subject: RE: Sylvia Mars?
From: Mary Katherine
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 07:48 PM

Yes, the same Sylvia Mars who recorded for Folklyric. I'll check with Chris, though I doubt he has any info. Her father recently died, and she was not listed in the newspaper obit among the survivors, so I suspect that she is no longer with us. Also, at the time of the Club 47 50th anniversary reunion, Betsy Siggins & Co. tried everything to find her to invite her to attend, but with no luck. Mitch Greenhill, who played guitar on that old album, has not heard from her in many decades.

Subject: RE: Sylvia Mars?
From: GUEST,Tom Curren
Date: 02 Jan 17 - 10:50 PM

Sylvia Mars passed away some years ago in Philadelphia. She was an unforgettable singer.

Subject: RE: Sylvia Mars?
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 03 Jan 17 - 05:45 PM

Does anyone have access to a Newspaper data base? Perhaps
someone can find an obituary.

A search turned up the following - perhaps someone on facebook
can access the full entry....

Broadside of Boston public group | Facebook
https://en-gb.facebook.com/groups/BostonBroadside/
Remove. Michael Tearson The venue Sunday night is a church in West Philly. ..... Stephen P. Hall Sylvia Mars died in Philidelphia, PA on 01 May 2001. She was ...

Other hits show notices of performances in Boston in the 60's.

MK - any luck with Arhoolie/Strachwitz ??

Thomas.

Subject: RE: Sylvia Mars?
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 03 Jan 17 - 07:07 PM

Cached version:

"Stephen P. Hall: Sylvia Mars died in Philidelphia, PA on 01 May 2001. She was born 01 Sept 1930, in Abbeville, SC, the daughter of Willie B Lumpford, and Thelma M Henry. She lived in SC, NY, MA., and PA. In 1941 Sylvia's mother married Jules Mars at Boston, MA, and 11 year old Sylvia took the Mars surname. By the 1940s Sylvia was living in Boston, MA and graduated from Boston's Girls School in 1948. In 1952 she married Phillip A Garofalo of Revere, MA. Phil died in 1967. By the 1990s she was living in PA, and died there. At the time of her death she was known as Sylvia Benefred Garofalo. Not sure if she had any children from her marriage to Phil."


note there are three replies I couldn't drill down to however:
US-SSN 018-24-1451 (Massachusetts) assigned to Sylvia B Garofalo; born 01 September 1930; died 1 May 2001; Last resided Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19128, USA.

Subject: RE: Sylvia Mars?
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 03 Jan 17 - 07:48 PM

LIFE Nov 18, 1957
Sirs:
It's too bad about Mrs. J. H. Wilkes of Salt Lake
City who moved 2,500 miles so her children could be
educated with whites (Letters, Life, Oct. 28). In 1943
my family moved from our "beloved" South Carolina
so that I could complete my education among broad-
minded whites.
                              Sylvia Garofalo
Boston, Mass.

interesting note about the Folk-Lyric recording - the
engineer was Stephen Fassett. He was well known in
Boston, had recorded many concerts of the great singer
Roland Hayes, was responsible for the FOLKSINGERS ROUND
HARVARD SQUARE album (Joan Baez, Bill Wood, Ted Alivezos),
and many others...

Thomas.

Subject: RE: Sylvia Mars?
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 03 Jan 17 - 08:39 PM

Some search results may be unearthed using
Sylvia Benefred Mars.
Copyrights, for instance.

Subject: RE: Sylvia Mars?
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 04 Jan 17 - 01:22 PM

Context for the non-American reader:

"It's too bad about Life's reporters. If only they knew what it was like to live with so many Negroes. In November 1953 my husband, our four children and I moved 2,500 miles away from our beloved South Carolina so our children wouldn't have to go to schools with Negroes!
Mrs. J.H.Wilkes
Salt Lake City Utah"

See: U.S. Troops Take Over in Arkansas; A Historic Week of Civil Strife &c., Life, 7 October 1957 re: The "Little Rock Nine" & Little Rock Central High School.

Wiki: Little Rock Nine


In fairness to a "broad minded" South, Boston and Philly ain't no walk-around.

RIP.at.last. Sylvia.