American Cinematographer - May 2007 - 103

In Memoriam Barbara Prevedel he ASC’s flag stood at half-mast after the recent passing of longtime office manager Barbara Prevedel, who served the organization for 38 years. She died on Feb. 27 at the age of 74. Affectionately dubbed “Miss ASC” by close friend Stanley Cortez, ASC, Prevedel joined the Society as a receptionist in 1954. She quickly became an invaluable member of the staff, taking on a range of duties that firmly established her as the organization’s backbone until her retirement in 1992. She served as right hand to 18 ASC presidents and six AC editors, bolstering their efforts with her high standards, admirable work ethic and deep belief in decorum. On January 15, 1983, the ASC officially recognized Prevedel’s contributions to the Society by naming her an associate member; on December 12, 1992, at a celebration held two weeks after her retirement, the Society went a step further by making her the first female honorary member. (Honorary memberships had previously been bestowed upon just 22 individuals, including inventor Thomas Edison, Kodak founder George Eastman, and Walt Disney.) The daughter of Angelo and Noemi Prevedel, Barbara was born on June 18, 1932, in Superior, Wyoming. She completed two years of study at the University of Wyoming before moving to Los Angeles in 1952. (Her sister, Vivian, followed a year later.) During her first two years in town, Prevedel worked at Acme Fast Freight, where she befriended a fellow staffer, Marion Hutchins, daughter of ASC President Arthur Miller. Hutchins left Acme to become the ASC’s office manager and soon hired Prevedel, then 21 years old, to be the receptionist. Prevedel eventually assumed other responsibilities, including circulation and advertising duties for AC. When Hutchins moved on, Prevedel was promoted to office manager, a post she held until her last day on the job. Prevedel was renowned for her attention to detail, respect for protocol and Swiss-clock punctuality, but she also made an impression with her feisty personality and soft heart. Some of her off-the-job passions included traveling (she made many trips to Europe, often to her father’s homeland of Italy), rescuing stray animals, and rooting for her favorite sports teams. Former ASC President T Woody Omens maintains, “Barbara was the glue that held the ASC together for a very long time. We would have been lost without her. We’ve had presidents and CEOs come and go, but Barbara was a mainstay, and we really came to depend on her. She was never flamboyant; she was always calm, smooth and businesslike. But I always gave her a hug, and she gave me a hug back.” Another former president, Victor J. Kemper, ASC, notes, “Barbara was the den mother for the ASC, and nobody did a thing without her okay. She really ran the place, and she ran it with an iron fist! But she was good-natured and had a great sense of humor. I don’t know how the place could have functioned without her, because the members weren’t as active then as they are today.” Ralph Woolsey, ASC, who served as president in 1983, recalls, “Barbara was at once secretary, office manager, purchasing agent and arbiter of staff relationships, not to mention a discreet critic of board members’ behavior. We used to joke that Barbara would only forward personal mail sent to the Clubhouse if it was unscented! During my year as president, I came to appreciate how she worked way out in front. She cared.” Omens adds, “Barbara eventually passed the baton to Patty Armacost, who adored and respected her. I think it’s a great tribute to Barbara that she found someone who could take on her responsibilities as the ASC’s operations grew increasingly complex.” Armacost, who now serves as the Society’s events coordinator, notes that Prevedel’s first priority was always the membership. “When Barbara hired me, she said, ‘The minute any member walks in that front door, drop whatever you’re doing and make that person feel at home.’ She also insisted on treating each member equally — she said, ‘You basically have 200 bosses.’ Barbara would do anything to protect the membership. She never gossiped; even though she and I were close, she would never tell me anything a member had told her in confidence. As a result, the members trusted her completely. When they walked into the Clubhouse, they always wanted to see Barbara. One day I said to her, ‘Why won’t they let me help them?’ She replied, ‘That’s just the way it is, Patty.’ They eventually came to trust me too, but it took awhile. “I think we balanced each other out, because she was all about discipline and routines and I’m more freewheeling. On a personal level, you couldn’t ask for a better friend. She was the most loyal person I’ve ever known.” Ben Toguchi, the ASC’s maintenance engineer since 1959, also became fast friends with Prevedel. “Right from the beginning, we hit it off,” says Toguchi, who recalls that the two of them often took cigarette breaks together. “From a professional standpoint, she was a great PR person for the ASC, because she was very cordial to everybody who came to visit the Clubhouse, and everybody liked her. In those days, we didn’t have computers, so everything was done by hand and by memory. Barbara had a couple of assistants, and if they goofed up, she would raise hell!” Former ASC Vice President Jack Cooperman, who served as a pallbearer at Prevedel’s funeral, puts her significance in historical perspective. “Barbara was a living link to the Society’s patriarchs, a generation we still try to emulate. Even though she wasn’t a cinematographer, she spoke as the voice of the world’s greatest cinematographers. She had an incredible moral integrity, and she loved and respected the men who had built the Society. It wasn’t just a job to her.” A rosary for Prevedel was held on March 4 in San Gabriel. Funeral services took place the next day at St. Luke’s Church in Temple City. Prevedel is survived by her sister, Vivian, and her nieces, Debbie Rice and Patty Clarke. — Stephen Pizzello s American Cinematographer 103

American Cinematographer - May 2007

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