User:Ashlar/Jay Meredith

Jay Meredith Fitts (born Jocelyn Sowers on 6 March 1918 – 14 January 2014) was an American radio, stage, and TV actor, producer, director

Early life
Meredith was born in Indiana to John Irving Sowers and Luella Drake Sowers. At the time, her father was attending Vincennes University and her mother, a speech therapist, was the chair of the university's school of expression. She was the youngest of three children.

In 1923, the family moved to Miami where her parents lived until their deaths in 1944 and 1961 respectively.

Education
An accomplished violinist, Meredith attended Miami Senior High School and later majored in drama at Carnegie Institute of Technology (Carnegie Tech), where she was amember of the Zeta Phi Eta speech fraternity.

Marriage to Herbert Goddard
In March 1937, Meredith married [alias] and dropped out of Carnegie Tech to pursue her acting career. She left [alias] in [October/November 1937]. Goddard kidnapped two girls - he was caught when one escaped. Despite his history and previous convictions for sexual assault, he blamed the break-up with Meredith for his actions. However, the media coverage led to the revelation that Goddard was still married to Elizabeth Danner Baker at the time of his marriage to Meredith and therefore the later marriage was void.

Career
Meredith moved to New York where she acted professionally on Broadway and on television.

About XXXX, she married Lt George Fitts, who later became an executive for Montgomery Ward. Her husband was transferred to Green Bay, Wisconsin, The couple moved to Madison, Wisconsin where Meredith turned acted in numerous community theatre productions and appeared on radio. The pair had three children, a girl and two boys.

Radio

 * Anna in "Our Girl Sunday"
 * Crystal Gates in "Young Dr. Malone"
 * Althea Dennis in "Brighter Day"
 * April Kane in "Terry and the Pirates"

Broadway

 * Small role in "Two on an Island" by Elmer Rice and understudy for Betty Field
 * Small role in "Flight to the West" by Elmer Rice

TV

 * One Man's Family
 * I Remember Mama
 * The Edge of Night
 * Brighter Day


 * Kraft Theatre
 * Armstrong Circle Theater
 * Firestone Hour
 * Robert Montgomery Presents
 * Big Story
 * Perry Como
 * Alcoa Presents
 * Producer's Showcase
 * Goodyear Playhouse