Francia Albrecht has been a tireless supporter of the CVYB since its inception in 1975. You'll enjoy this charming piece, filled with her memories of life and art!

I, Francia Adelaide Holliday Albrecht, was born on December 4, 1918. I was raised in a lyrical household composed of my father, a Clevelander born to a family of medical doctors, and a mother who sang beautifully and a brilliant brother, “W.T.” Holliday who was a close friend of John D. Rockefeller from boyhood. Papa was an auditor for Standard Oil Company of Ohio and his brother Trevor was president of Standard Oil of Ohio for twenty-four years. We dwelled in great respect for Standard Oil and Western Reserve University.

My mother, Aubrey Watters Holliday, was a lithesome creature, kind of a Goddess of Terpsichore after the Greek muse of choral dance and song. She graduated from Central High School, attended the then Buchtel College succeeding greatly in all effects of Drama. I always say she could be Shylock or Portia and tear your heart out. For many years in Cleveland, there was a very well known, respected Tucker School of Expression. Mother went to this school several years and was cast opposite my father in a play called “In the Vanguard”. Men in Papa’s day (born 1890) often studied elocution to help them give talks in business sessions. Mother had been married to my sister Betty’s father in a prominent wedding at old St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on East Market Street which was where my grandparents Adelaide Akers and Rayma Watters lived for many years until they died. That first marriage of mother’s resulted in male adultery and she divorced. Thereupon to give herself a good life of endeavor she created the Aubrey Watters School of Dance and Dramatic Art. Upon her marriage to my father Clarence, my grandparents gave them two of the old mansions they owned on East Market (where the freeway is now). I was born in one of them on the kitchen table (delivered?) by Dr. Milligan who lived just up the street. Mother had her first ballroom studio on Adolph Avenue in a mansion that had been the Jacob Koch home. Harvey Firestone had said to mother, “Aubrey, if you can do this teaching for St. Paul’s you should do it for yourself”. Thus her school was formed for over forty years. She saw that my sister was greatly talented in movement and taught her Isadora Duncan style with Greek “drapes” for practice costumes and basic black slippers, all inspired from the Tucker School of Expression! She took Betty to New York to study at the famous Vestoff and Serova School of Russian Ballet on W. 73rd Street, there again a huge old mansion. When I turned four years old (I’d got off the kitchen table!) I went along instead of camp -- the three of us went to New York every summer for years. I was kind of a mascot at Vestoff Serova School because I was so young and they let me fit into any class I wanted to take each day, all day. Mr. Vestoff in his classical black satin knickers and white flowing blouse was fond of me and took me with him on walks with his same age daughter Cynthia. Ballet music was written especially for teaching their method benefiting the so-called Normal School for the summers. Mother eventually took Betty at 11 to Michael Fokine who had just come over from Russia and lived in the Palisades. He needed an interpreter to teach Betty at first. This was before my time. Betty was seven years older. Later she studied with him at #2 Riverside Drive, Fokine’s hang out there with Madame Fokine. Betty was teaching around 11 and was excellent in technique and choreography for years. I was always her pupil.

Of course, these New York trips during the summer exposed us to all the famous Broadway Shows of the 1920’s. I’d be a sleepy little girl going home on the street car to our Hotel Washington near 73rd. The excitement and experience I gained I always look back upon nostalgically. That leap from Akron to such special study! It was study for mother and Betty to teach. Mother became the first authentic teacher of Russian Ballet in Akron and the first “outsider” to rent Goodyear (Hall) for her yearly recital of students. They were not “bras and pants recitals” but rather traditional costumes, a poetic tableau written by mother, Mr. Beaver’s orchestra, Ethelyne Foltz and Loraine Flanick pianists, and Orville Sellers production. What drama entered my life. I was bound to be bound to it all my life. We never considered mother to be called a dancer. She was a serious, loving teacher of her art to children.

I left Buchtel High after my four years and went to a marvelous Finishing School at 17 in Washington D.C., King Smith Studio School geared to all the arts. I learned through excellent professors – Lisa Gardner of the Pavlova company whose studio was just down stairs in my dorm! She founded the Washington National Ballet with Mary Day,
S. Wesley McKee and Constance Welsh of Yale Drama, Margaret McClean - phonetics and speech, Martha Graham, and Vachel Lindsay’s wife, Elizabeth, creative writing. She was our Dean and I loved her. I had good notices in Washington papers for “Moon Born” and a first arena style in our Rock Creek Park Playhouse comedy lead in “Penny Wise”, played scenes from “Romeo and Juliet” (Willamstown Theatre in the Old Opera House), and at Wharf Theater in Provincetown I was an apprentice in the musical called “Buddies”. The pianist for that was with Theater Guild and got me an audition when I was in New York for 6 weeks with Lyn Fontanne. She liked my Sonya from Chekov’s “Uncle Vanya”. Her letter says, “You are a most interesting and talented young actress”. She wanted to help meget a job but asked me for another comedy audition. I didn’t know what to do! My forte was accents but she did not want accents. I should have asked her what she’d like me to do. I had done a rather shallow thing from “What a Life” that I had done at Provincetown. I’d been staying at the only place my other would let me stay: Barbizon for Women ($12 a week) at 63rd and Lexington. I was afraid I might not please her the second time! I came home!

I began going again with darling Fred Albrecht. We have had a very romantic, healthy life together with six fine children, fifteen grandchildren and four greats.

I used to say my Episcopal Prayers with my English Grandmother who came here from King’s Lyn at eighteen to visit with her father, the Akers-Harpham’s relatives. She stayed and married at St. Paul’s my grandfather whom Betty and I called “Daddy” because for quite a while he was her Daddy. He was an inventor for Seiberling and Quaker Oats and a heavy real estate owner.

Grama had this prayer: “Jesus, tender, be thou near me; Suffer me to come to thee”. I thought we were supposed to say, “Suffer me to come to tea”. I have come to tea in life and had many a joyous time with my husband and grandchildren. My love and appreciation for many friends and especially for my deep love of God with Jesus.

Written by Francia Albrecht in October 2004