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Julia Black Obituary

Published by Porter Loring Mortuary McCullough on Jul. 5, 2002.


Julia Williams Black of San Antonio, TX died Friday, July 5, 2002. While most Americans celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks, Julia Williams Black spent that evening celebrating her love of music by watching the Broadway musical South Pacific, one of her all time favorites. She amazed those around her by singing Some Enchanted Evening, remembering every word. Not surprising, really, given her deep love of music and theater that spanned most of her 80 years and propelled her into the Broadway spotlight. Born in 1921 in Woodruff County, Arkansas, Julia started her education in a one room school, and helped her father, Roger, perform tasks on his 1,300 acre cotton plantation. Julie's interest in theater started while attending classes at Louisiana State University. A chance appearance, singing as a guest soprano before a Rotary Club, led to an offer of a music scholarship. She sang lead roles in several productions while an LSU student. By this point, the attractive, blue-eyed blonde sensed the calling of a career on Broadway. She spent two years as a reporter for The Atlanta Constitution, but then resumed her musical career. An opera performance in Memphis became a turning point in her career, earning her a scholarship to the Julliard School of Music in New York City. In New York, Julia couldn't walk on to a stage without impressing the critics. Her professional career started with acceptance as a singer with the Phil Spitalny All-Girl Orchestra. She appeared in the eight week run of the Broadway musical, "Great to be Alive," and joined the San Carlo Opera Company as a lead soprano. Miss Williams appeared in scores of productions, including the operas La Boheme, Madame Butterfly and Carmen. Other notable Broadway appearances included Two On The Aisle with Bert Lahr and Dolores Gray. In 1952, she was cast as lead soprano in Michael Todd's "A Night in Venice", billed as the world's largest musical, with a cast of 500. Her versatility did not go unnoticed, as attention began turning to a new medium called television. She joined the Colgate Comedy Hour during which, she told a newspaper interviewer, "I did everything, sang grand opera, popular and hillbilly music and even brushed my teeth." Other television performances included several appearances on the Eddie Cantor Show, as well as appearing with Milton Berle, Abbott and Costello and Fred Allen. She also did several popular singing commercials,including the original "Ajax the Foaming Cleanser" commercial. Julia loved to travel, especially to new and different places. She used her musical talents to further this interest, by signing on for a tour as a singer aboard the Cunard Line cruise ship Mauretania on a six-week cruise from New York through the West Indies and South America. Deciding to return to the south, she hosted her own hour-long weekly television show on KATV in central Arkansas and later moved to Texas,living in Fort Worth, Midland and Austin. She moved to San Antonio in 1960 and stayed active in the arts, supporting local theater. She served as President of the San Antonio Junior Forum in 1963, and spent several years as a Board member with San Antonio Little Theater. In addition to her music, Julia was an accomplished potter, sculptor and painter. She loved nature and animals and enjoyed feeding raccoons from a home she owned near the Alamo Heights nature trails. Known for her green thumb, Julia had an almost magical ability to grow plants and flowers, and loved them dearly. She had a strong and uncompromising sense of justice and fairness. She was known for giving unhesitatingly of herself to family, friends and others in need. She often did cooking and shopping for elderly friends, even though her own health sometimes made it difficult for her to get around. She genuinely enjoyed people and they always gravitated to her. Julia's love for her family was unquestioned. She always let each of her children and grandchildren know how proud she was of their accomplishments. She always had an encouraging word.
While not a member of any organized religion, Julie was a deeply spiritual person, worshiping nature and life itself. Her creative artistry extended into all parts of her life, including cooking. Her inventive dishes have long been enjoyed by her family and friends. She enjoyed presenting meals as works of art, with her regard for colors and textures reflected in her selection of centerpieces, napkins and tablecloths as well. Her first marriage, to Life Magazine senior editor David Snell, produced two sons, Barry, an attorney in San Antonio, and Whitfield, founder of San Antonio's Bike World stores. Her second marriage, to David L.Black, produced a third son, David, a broadcast journalist in Birmingham, Alabama. In addition to her sons, she is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Craig and Rachel Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, and her six grandchildren, John Snell, David "Clay" Snell, Christopher Joseph Snell, Suzanne Elizabeth Snell, Stephen Patrick Snell, Austin Patrick Snell, and two great-grandchildren, Caroline and Andrew Snell. On the morning of July 5th, with the lyrics of Some Enchanted Evening still fresh, Julie Williams Black passed away, bringing to an end the enchanted life of a woman who found beauty in her surroundings and love in her heart for many other people

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