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Show Beverly Sills Leads Volunteers in March of Dimes Mothers March I vT) -M) NSv I v t IM - k . 'I i-'i Time is a precious thing. For opera star Beverly Sills, it can be like a rare jewel. Spare moments don't come often to the internationally acclaimed ac-claimed soprano, who has sung to praise throughout the world, is a popular guest on nationwide nation-wide TV talk shows, and is frequently interviewed for newspapers and magazines. , Yet for the fifth straight year, Miss Sills will once again contribute that most precious resource her time to the March of Dimes campaign against birth defects. As National Chairman of the Mothers March on birth defects, de-fects, Miss Sills embodies the spirit of the thousands of volunteers vol-unteers participating in this door-to-door, neighbor-to-neighbor appeal across the country. Her interest in the voluntary health organization continues throughout the year and she makes it a point to visit with Mothers March leaders wherever wher-ever she goes. She has even arranged meetings backstage when time would not permit any other place. Because of her own concern for keeping aware of developments devel-opments in overcoming life-threatening life-threatening conditions of the newborn, Miss Sills often visits vis-its MOD-supported intensive care nurseries, medical service programs, and research labo- ratories. OPERA STAR BEVERLY SILLS and 1976 March of Dimes Poster Child Tammy Patterson make friends in the warm Tennessee sunshine sun-shine outside Tammy's home. For the tilth year, Miss Sills will give her time to serve as National Chairman of the Mothers March. Sills said. "I went back to singing sing-ing only at the insistence of my husband who thought it would be good therapy. There's been a lot of hard work involved. in-volved. Even so, I work my singing career around my family, fam-ily, and their needs always come first. "My mother once said she thought 1 God gave such children chil-dren to those who could best cope with them," she recalls. "She thought my daughter had been given to me because living liv-ing in a world of sound, as I do, I would spend my life trying try-ing to give sound to her. Well, that's true." Prima donna assoluta of the New York City Opera, she scored a unique triumph last April. Her long-awaited debut at the Metropolitan Opera came when she sang the role of Pamira in Rossini's "The Siege of Corinth". The critics raved. Newsweek reported that ticket demand for her debut, "even at top benefit price of $60, was the hottest in Met history, equal to the demand in 1910 when Toscannini conducted the world premiere of Puccini's, 'The Girl of the Golden West' with Caruso." Her "Siege of Corinth" was such a success that Miss Sills was invited to repeat the performance to open the Met's 1975-76 season. Miss Sills' career has been, filled with experiences that combine her love for music with her concern for the goals of the March of Dimes. ' Positive thinking is prevalent preva-lent in every part of Miss Sills' life. When her children were still very young, she and her husband decided not to hide Muffy's and Bucky's handicaps. They felt that their forth-rightness forth-rightness would set an example for other parents in a similar situation. In this respect, Miss Sills and MOD volunteers share a common com-mon approach in meeting the problem of birth defects head on. With enough time, both can contribute immeasurably to overcoming the nation's most acute child health problem prob-lem birth defects. This concern is expressed in other ways. Miss Sills offers encouragement and strength to mothers everywhere who are faced with raising a child handicapped from birth. Those who have seen Miss Sills perform know her warmth is hard to resist. Critics Crit-ics acclaim her as the finest singer-actress in opera today. " She brings drama, humor, wis- dom, or wit, to the particular role she is singing. What her legion of fans may not know is that she almost gave up her singing career some years ago because of two sorrowful events in the personal lives of herself and her husband Peter " Greenough, a former financial ! editor, and now a March of ; Dimes trustee. i Their children, Meredith (Muffy), 16, and Peter Jr. (Bucky), 14, were born with birth defects. Pretty, blonde Muffy is profoundly deaf, and Bucky is mentally retarded ' and epileptic. "After that, I didn't sing anywhere for two years," Miss |