Author: Louis Dell'Olio

…………………….It’s a story I have told before….but well worth repeating!……..Years ago Jac and I adopted two elephants……..TARA & FLORA………….When Tara was six months old she was captured in Burma and imported to the America. For 20 years Tara traveled across the world entertaining audiences in circuses, amusement parks, zoos, television and even motion pictures….Her owner, Carol came to realize that an entertainment life style was not suitable for Tara…..Tara was the inspiration for the creation of…..THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY in TENNESSEE……..After 21 years of entertaining the public, Tara was retired and became the first resident of the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. Tara became best friends with Bella a stray dog and they were besties staying together all the time. When coyotes killed Bella, Tara found her body, and cradled Bella back to the barn in her trunk……Tara’s elephant sisters rallied around Tara in support knowing how despondent she was….Tara has become the “social butterfly” and is the first to greet all the new elephants who have come to the sanctuary…….Jac fell in love with her….after all they were both “SHOWGIRLS”………….FLORA……was orphaned in Zimbabwe as a result of a culling [MASS KILLING] of all the adults in her family herd in order to control the wild elephant population…….Flora spent time with an elephant broker in Southern California. She spent 18 years performing under the big top and was even in PeeWee Herman’s movie “BIGTOP” ….After years of entertaining, her owner David realized Flora no longer enjoyed entertaining, and wanted her to have a better life…He researched options…..Eventually, Carol Buckley, the original owner of Tara, and the creator of the Sanctuary was contacted and Flora was sent to the Sanctuary, and was the twelfth member….where she was greeted by….TARA!……..There they remain living the good life they deserve. The Sanctuary continually expands with more elephants, and more land for them to explore, and ponds for them to swim in…..They make their money with donations which I contribute to yearly……You may consider adopting one of these beautiful elephants too!

………..I may not have human children….but I’m still a PROUD PAPA!

……………..”ELENA & JAC………….BESTIES FOR LIFE!………….Elena was one of Jac’s best friends….even though they lived on different continents….they always kept in touch. After Jac passed I sent Elena some photos of us all together,” and some of just the two of them. Elena has told me they are all in a group on a shelf in her living room where she can see them every day………I sent her an e-mail today……”always in my thoughts”…….She said………..”we will never be apart”.

……………………”Thinking of Elena…….Elena Elstrom was a very dear friend of Jac’s….who became a dear friend of mine…….She was a Swedish model who Jac met in Europe. When Elena moved to the states they became very close, and worked a lot in the same shows…Many times they were paired together on the runway, because of their similar look….blond hair, tall and willowy….they just worked well together…..Elena LOVED GREECE and the dark haired handsome men….Opposites do attract! She and Jac traveled all over Greece together. This was before Jac and I were a couple……On one of these trips through the Pelopnnese, the southern peninsular of Greece, they were traveling in a van with a group of four musicians that were Elena’s friends. They made stops along the way where the band played in tavernas……At one of these tavernas a young man tried to pick Jac up, but she had her mind on someone else…..me…….so she introduced Elena to Angelo. They hit it off immediately, and not long after that got married…..Eventually, when Jac and I got together, we made many trips to Greece to visit Elena and Angelo. They had a son….Yanni…..Angelo and I became good friends……This picture was taken, by Angelo on the island of Mykonos….way before it became the “party island” it is now! There were only 3 small simple hotels!!…..We were out to dinner and Elena is selecting live crabs for our meal………..Those trips were the best of times!…….Elena, Angelo and I are still close, but Jac is terribly missed.

………………These are the opening pages of my…..Last Spring Look Book for Anne Klein………….featuring Christy Turlington……………Christy is wearing a fine textured SILK/LYCRA unitard with a fine woven waffle weave textured wrap skirt made with the same SILK/LYCRA yarns……She’ wearing a wide contour brown leather belt, wide leather cuffs and large leather hoop earrings….It was also my NATIONAL AD…………..Christy was gorgeous!