BABY BORN: Oct. 2, 1951
BABY WEIGHED: 6 LBS., 7 OZ.
NAMED FOR: Romina--For Rome; Where Mom and Pop Met; Francesca--For Church Where Mom and Pop Were Married
BROTHER OR SISTERS: Annie, 21, Annabella's Daughter
DISTINGUISHED AN CESTORS: Two Famous Actors, Both Named Tyrone Power
UNUSUAL GIFT: Gold Medallion of Our Lady of Guadalupe
FIRST ACHIEVEMENT: A Smile for Pop!
LOOKS LIKE: A Power
The thin fingers of dawn crept through the blinds of the Fathers' Waiting Room at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, and reached to the hard wooden bench where Ty Power lay sleeping after an all-night vigil. The birth of his first child was close at hand but, wearied by the waiting, Ty had fallen into restless slumber. Suddenly, someone shook him. "Wake up!" A man's voice shouted. "It's a girl!" Ty leaped to his feet. "You mean my baby?" he asked. The man looked offended. "Certainly not," he said stiffly. "I mean mine!"
A soul less sensitive than Power might have told the stranger off. Ty only grinned. He too had waited years for this day; he understood only too well how the distraught stranger felt.
Musing in the chilly corridor, Ty thought again of the gnawing need for a child that had lived within him so many years. In 1939, when he was only 24, he had adopted the 8 year old daughter of his bride, Annabella. Despite his own youth, Ty was always a good father ad friend to the young girl.
But Annie Power, now a charming woman living in Paris with her mother, never fully satisfied his desire for a child of his own.
Three years ago Ty married Linda Christian in the church of Santa Francesca Romana, in Rome, and his hopes for a family were revived. When Linda became pregnant, he was overjoyed. But his happiness was short-lived. Linda lost the baby in Paris. Months later, Linda became pregnant again. And once again tragedy struck. On a a trip to the Philippines, the second child was lost.
Last year, in New York, Linda visited a noted obstetrician. "Glaundular deficiency," the medico said. "Shots will fix you up fine." Linda agreed to the treatment. At that point, she was willing to try anything. And on October 2, 1951, Romina Francesca was born in Los Angeles.
For Ty, it's only the beginning of a dream come true. He wants a son, and Linda has promised him one.
Next year, maybe there'll be a Ty, Jr.!
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