Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro

Subject: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 20 Feb 07 - 02:23 PM

Just got the news that my old singing partner has left. Can anyone please provide a website or information about this. I am deeply saddened.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: Amos
Date: 20 Feb 07 - 02:48 PM

Frank:

Only tidbit I was able to find on a quick search is that she was working on a musical with the Warren Casey, when he died in 1998. Assuming it is the same Valucha Castro. SOrry, not much more out there on her.

Amos

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: GUEST,Ken Brock
Date: 20 Feb 07 - 02:56 PM

So sorry to hear of your loss. That was a fine album the two of you recorded on Philips. The Crazy Moon label at 1-800-223-3242 may have more information.

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 20 Feb 07 - 05:30 PM

Thanks Ken. I will check it out.

Amos, don't know if it was her but sounds probable.

Frank

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 20 Feb 07 - 05:41 PM

Ken, tried to e Crazy Moon but got a returned message..no recipient. I'll call at the number you gave me.

Frank

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Feb 07 - 05:41 PM

In 2001, CNN's Moscow Bureau Chief, Jill Dougherty, wrote an article about surviving breast cancer and names Valucha de Castro as her best friend and fellow cancer surviver. You might try contacting her. HERE is the article I found.

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Feb 07 - 05:44 PM

According to her BIO, Ms. Dougherty is in Washington, D.C. now. Sorry, I didn't see an email for her.

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 20 Feb 07 - 06:15 PM

Thanks, Kat. Valucha was with Jill in Russia. I guess more info will be forthcoming.

Frank

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Feb 07 - 06:17 PM

You're most welcome, Frank. Please keep us posted. Sorry for the loss.

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: GUEST,Ken Brock
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 03:46 PM

The Chicago Tribune obit for Valucha is online at:

http://www.legacy.com/chicagotribune/Obituaries.asp?Page=Notice&PersonID=86865816

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: GUEST,Art Thiemke
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 05:01 PM

Frank and all,

This is a sad happening. I remember Valucha fondly---and doing "Yerakina" / "Ta Vrahyollia" with you!

This was in the regular obituary section of the Chicago Tribune this Sunday past: March 18th, 2007

Valucha deCastro--Brazilian born singer, composer, writer and artist died Feb. 12, 2007 at her home in Washington D.C. Valucha, as she was known professionally to her friends, died of liver disease. She was 76.
Valucha was born October 10, 1930 in the state of Minas Cerais, Her father, Ajaccio Aquino Castro, was a banker. Her mother, Wanda Murgel deCastro, was a translator of literature. When Valucha was 12 her family moved to Rio Janeiro. In 1950 she came to the United States to study at Drake University. She married a medical student, Jack Buffington, who later became a psychiatrist in Chicago. They had 3 children and were later divorced. In Chicago Valucha was one of the first students to enroll at the Old Town School Of Folk Music where she later taught Brazilian folk music. She often performed with Frank Hamilton and they recorded an LP record called THE WORLD OF FRANK AND VALUCHA. It was widely played on Chicago's fine arts radio station WFMT-FM and it's popular program "The Midnight Special." Throughout the 70s and 80s Valucha performed on concert stages and in music clubs all over the Midwest. She became an artist-in-residence for Chicago's artists-in-the-schools agency called "URBAN GATEWAYS." Valucha later tuned to painting and developed a wide body of work--most of it based on images from her childhood in Brazil. In the 1990s he was inspired by new influences and she moved from Chicago to Washington D.C., Moscow Russia, and Hong Kong.

Valucha married Richard Arnesen, a designer, in 1963, The marriage ended but they remained close friends until her death. Valucha is survived by her partner of 29 years, Jill Dougherty. Her son, Paul Buffington, is a farmer in Montana. Her daughter, Gigi Buffington, is a voice specialist and actor living in Chicago and London.Her daughter Sandra deCastro Buffington is a consultant in global leadership and inernational health. Grandchildren, Ana Lucia McGorty and Chalo Wells, live in Chicago and Santa Fe. A memorial for Valucha will be held in Chicago April 10.
-------------------------------------------------

Folks, that's it. She was a grand person. My condolences go out to all of you who loved her, her music, and all the beautious things ' Valuch' (as John Carbo used to call her) did so very well.

One of my favorite memoreies of Valuch was actually a mistake she made introducing a tongue-twister Brazilian song at the first University Of Chicago Folk Festival in February of 1961. She said, "People, "here is a nonsensical frong about a sog." I never found out if she had done that intentionally.

I do wish I'd known her better!

Art Thieme
Peru, Illinois

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 10:51 AM

Here is the link.

Those Legacy obits disappear into the archive$ after a month, so it is a good thing that Art put the text in this thread.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: GUEST,refresh
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 05:09 PM

Subject: RE: Obit: Valucha Buffington Castro
From: Stringsinger
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 07:02 PM

Valucha was an important part of the Old Town School of Folk Music. She inspired the School to reach out and incorporate International music bringing her Brazilian and other music cultures to it. Valucha spoke Portugese, French, Italian, Spanish and English.
Her Frog Song was a tongue-twister that she did extremely fast and it was always a hit.
We had the fortune to appear at The Gate Of Horn opposite the bill with Miriam Makeba.
It was a great run and she'll be missed.

Frank Hamilton