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A Note From
Wanda
 The following is a letter that I wanted to share with all
of Bea's fans that I received from Wanda who lives in Canada.
She sent me this letter with a bunch of pictures that she
took when meeting with Bea. So with great care I scanned
them in and am mailing them back to her for her scrapbook
of memories. So thank you Wanda for sharing your wonderful
story and pictures with me and I hope the rest of Bea's fans
enjoy them too!
Kevin:
First I want to thank you for your web site Bea Arthur in
the Lime Light - without it I would never have been able
to fulfill the wish I wanted to fill before leaving this
earth, that was meeting my favorite T.V. actress of all time.
I'll start with the summer of 2005 when I found out from
your site that Bea was going to be in Las Vegas in August
- in fact she was going to be there the day before my birthday
- what a chance I thought - we could celebrate both at once.
I phoned the Tropicana Hotel and luckily they had front row
center for the one night show - August 27 - what luck - then
I had to phone the Hotel for reservations - got them - now
we just have to get to Vegas. This was in June so we had
time for plane reservations so I got them arranged to arrive
in Vegas a couple of days before the show - I could hardly
wait. The weeks dragged by but finally we landed in Vegas
after an 8 hour drive to catch the plane from Edmonton, Alberta
to Vegas - (2500 miles) altogether. Drove directly to the
Tropicana and how was I going to put in the time until show
night - slot machines I guess. Finally Saturday night came
- we decided we should have a bite to eat before the show
- and that would put in some time - I was nearly too nervous
to eat -  what a mistake - I got some kind of food poisoning
and just before Bea's show - what I'd waited for 30 years
- oh well I'm not giving in and I thought as long as I sit
down I'll be fine - yea except for the darn stomach cramps!
Bea appeared and introduced Billy - what a show - it was
everything I had hoped for - only thing I waited for after
the show was to buy Bea's CD of the show - and headed for
our room. Why I wanted to sit in the front row was that I
had made her a photo album of her life in pictures - pictures
I'd been saving since her Broadway days, through Maude, Amanda
and Golden Girls - it was a very large album - Bea and Billy
were taking their last bows and I gave the book to my husband
and he flung it across the stage - it landed at Billy's feet
and he picked it up and handed it to Bea and she tucked it
under her arm as they left the stage - mission accomplished!
After flying home I was walking my dog one day - when I returned
I see my answering machine light blinking - it said "Wanda-Wanda
Cosgrove I hope this is you - this is Bea Arthur - I've got
your beautiful gift and I'm calling to thank you - I'll call
back later." Well I could have cried I missed her call -
I'll never walk that damn dog again! Anyway a few days later
still feeling sorry for myself I received in the mail a beautiful
'thank you' card - it read - "Couldn't reach you by phone.
Sorry I took so long to thank you for the loveliest gift
I have ever received. Much love and again, my thanks Bea."
 I
have no idea where she got my phone number but I was thrilled
she had and I recorded her message so I've go that! Another
day Kevin, I was tuned in to your site and I see Bea is going
to be in No. Hollywood a the El Portal in February and a
few days later in Scottsdale - at once I logged in to Scottsdale
to inquire about tickets - no luck with front row seats there
- a few days later on your "Tour Information" I
see that El Portal were selling the first 4 rows for a few
dollars more and a champagne get-together after the show
to meet Bea & Billy. I nearly peed myself - I got on
the phone right away and talked to a very nice fellow at
the El Portal - asked him about front row seats and told
him how far we had to come - he said they had two front row
centre seats for Feb. 18 - I grabbed them right away. Again,
my husband and I go the 2500 miles (this time I was determined
to meet her) 8 hours driving, staying overnight in Edmonton,
Alta next day off to Las Vegas. Stayed a few days in Primm,
Nevada and continued on in our rental car to No. Hollywood
where we found our motel not too far from the El Portal.
Spent the day before the show around the El Portal so we
wouldn't get lost the next night - we arrived Sat. night
2 hours before show time - got to know the El Portal staff
quite well - (no eating before this show). The staff were
all very nice and were very interested in my book and the
lady wanted to take the book to Bea before the show - I said
No that it was because the book I was there to give it to
her in person. (This was the second book) I never let either
book out of my sight - I held them on the plane, in the car,
in the cabs - I had spent too much time and money to  let
someone else deliver it. The show was much the same as the
one in Las Vegas except Bea talked more about her friend
Angela Lansbury because she was in the audience that night
- she also couldn't finish the joke about the canaries being "sent
in first"
because all the mine accidents lately - she told us this.
After the show ended we were directed to the reception room
where after 10 minutes Bea cam in and sat on a high stool
- she looked like a 'QUEEN'. I didn't see the line-up which
had formed to the left as I was sitting in the rented wheel
chair I had taken for the trip. I leapt out of the chair
and went up to her and said "Bea, I'm Wanda" She said, "My
god this is Wanda Cosgrove from Tumbler Ridge - throwing
her arms around me with a big hug "I"ll tell you more about
her another time - too much to tell now" (She was talking
to her people). She thanks me again for the first book and
then I told her she hadn't see anything yet and gave her
the second book - she was amazed that someone would take
the time and effort to do that. I told her I made the second
book so she could give each of her two sons one in 20 years
or so to remember their mother.
Bill was so sweet and friendly - he posed for as many pictures
as we wanted and we got a lot of good ones with Bea which
some of them are enclosed. She was very gracious, you could
tell she was tired, she rehearsed for half an hour before
the show, then did a 90 minute show and then met her fans
and that night her dog was very ill - talk about a trooper
- I don't know how she does it at her age.
  Again, Kevin, thank you for all your work on your web sites
keeping us informed about Bea's concert dates - the only
thing left on my "to do" list happened because of you. I
am 73 years old and had a colon cancer operation 2 years
ago so you will understand why this last "to do" was so important
to me.
Wanda
P.S.
Heard a man say as I was making my way up to meet Bea :
We all knew Bea did Broadway
We all knew Bea did movies
We all knew Bea did television
But we didn't know she could heal the crippled - did you
see that woman leap out of her wheelchair when Bea cam in
the room
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