THE INTERVIEW: ACTRESS AND TELEVISION PERSONALITY FLORETTE VASSALL (PART 2 OF 5)

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MM: As you know, I just finished an interview with a mutual friend of ours--it's amazing how our circle of friends has evolved---Al Topping. And I have to ask you--what role Pan Am played in your life--because it really involved your present day career?
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FV: PAN AM / AWARE (AN ACRONYM THAT STOOD FOR "AIRMEN WORRIED ABOUT REMAINING EMPLOYED" ALONG WITH A SEPTEMBER, 1974 FULL-PAGE AD PAID FOR BY THE PAN AM EMPLOYEES TO ASK WASHINGTON IN AN OPEN LETTER FORUM WHY PAN AM HAD BEEN DENIED MERGERS AND AMAZINGLY ENOUGH, THE RIGHT TO FLY DOMESTICALLY INSIDE THE UNITED STATES, AMONG OTHER TROUBLING QUESTIONS THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH PARTISANSHIP) AND THE NEW YORK "EVVY" FASHION AWARDS BOTH CAME ABOUT IN 1974. THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS WORKED TO PROMOTE PAN AM AND I WAS ABLE TO GENERATE MANY REVENUE TRAVEL GROUPS THROUGH "EVVY". IN 1983, AL TOPPING HAD TRANSFERRED TO NEW YORK FROM MIAMI. HE WAS RENOWNED FOR HIS HEROIC HANDLING OF THE LAST FLIGHT OUT OF SAIGON. AL IMMEDIATELY JUMPED ON THE PAN AM AWARE BANDWAGON AND GAVE HIS TOTAL SUPPORT. THE AWARE PRESIDENT, SHARON STARK BROUGHT HIM TO MY ATTENTION. AL WAS VERY COOPERATIVE WITH THE EFFORTS OF "EVVY" AND PAN AM / AWARE. HE WAS PRESENTED WITH THE "EVVY" 1983 ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR ALL OF HIS EXPERTISE. AFTER ENJOYING SO MANY SUCCESSFUL AND HAPPY YEARS LIVING IN ACAPULCO, MY DAUGHTER AND I HAD TO RETURN TO NEW YORK BECAUSE OF MY FATHER'S ILLNESS. HE AND I WERE VERY DEVOTED TO EACH OTHER. AS FAR AS RESETTLING WAS CONCERNED, I HAD TO ASK MYSELF, WHAT DID I DO BEFORE ACAPULCO? THE ANSWER WAS THAT I COULD RETURN TO TEACHING AND MODELING. STILL MY HEART WAS IN ACAPULCO AND I HAD TO FIND A WAY TO RETURN THERE AFTER MY FATHER'S PASSING. I REMEMBERED THAT MANY FRIENDS THAT I HAD MADE DURING MY TIME THERE WERE AGENTS FOR EASTERN AND AMERICAN AIRLINES. THEY VISITED ME SIX TO EIGHT TIMES A YEAR.I TRIED TO GET WORK AS A TICKET AGENT BUT EASTERN, UNITED AIRLINES, AMERICAN AIRLINES AND BRANIFF INTERNATIONAL ALL WANTED ME AS A STEWARDESS. WITH MY BACK PROBLEMS, I WAS NOT ABOUT TO BE CARRYING ANY TRAYS. I ALSO REMEMBERED THAT THE TICKET AGENTS COULD WRITE THEIR OWN TICKETS. THAT WAS THE JOB I WANTED. BECAUSE I AM FLUENT IN FRENCH AND SPANISH IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT I TAKE THE PAN AM SALES TEST THAT WAS GIVEN EACH THURSDAY. I DID; AND A FEW DAYS LATER PAN AM WAS VERY PLEASED TO TELL ME THAT THEY WANTED ME TO COME IN FOR THE SALES INTERVIEW. WORKING FOR PAN AM WAS SO GREAT! IT WAS A CLASS "A" COMPANY. I WAS IN THE COMPANY OF PLEASANT AND IN MANY CASES VERY BEAUTIFUL, DEDICATED WORKERS. I LEARNED NEW THINGS EVERY DAY. I MET NEW AND INTERESTING PASSENGERS DAILY. I WAS ABLE TO GET BACK TO ACAPULCO ANY TIME I WANTED TOO. AND MY DAUGHTER AND I GOT TO SEE A WHOLE LOT OF THE WORLD. PAN AM WAS THEN, AND STILL IS NOW, A GREAT PART OF MY LIFE. I HAVE COVERED NEARLY ALL OF THE REUNION EVENTS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE SINCE THE SHUT DOWN IN 1991. THE PROGRAMS AIR REGULARLY ON BCAT AND MNN AND MORE ARE STILL BEING PRODUCED. AFTER THE SAD SHUT DOWN OF PAN AM, MY CAREER EVOLVED THE SAME AS IT DID WHEN I HAD TO LEAVE ACAPULCO.
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MM: With Pan Am gone, how did your career evolve, Flo?
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FV: I ASKED MYSELF THE SAME QUESTION; ONLY THIS TIME IT WAS, 'WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE PAN AM? I COULD GO BACK TO MODELING AND TEACHING AND THAT IS WHAT I DID. TO MY SURPRISE I AM STILL MODELING AND NOW I AM TUTORING MY GRANDSON! MY PROGRAMS WHICH APPEAR ON MNN AIR UNDER THE TITLE NEW VENTURES FOR "EVVY" CULTURAL INTERCHANGE. THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER IS MR. R. WELLINGTON JONES. A LIFELONG FRIEND OF MINE, DR. JEAN LLOYD, IS ONE OF HIS TEN PRODUCERS OF NEW VENTURES. SHE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO HAVE ME AS A GUEST ON HER SHOW WITH WELLINGTON. DURING THAT APPEARANCE HE WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE VIDEO CLIPS THAT SHOWED SOME OF MY FASHION PRESENTATIONS. SOON I RECEIVED AN OFFER FROM HIM TO REPLACE A PRODUCER WHO HAD RETIRED FROM THE PROGRAM. THAT WAS IN 1992. MY PROGRAM AIRS EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 1230 P. M., CHANNELS 56 AND 109, IN MARCH AND AUGUST ON MNN (Manhattan Neighborhood Network). I BECAME A PRODUCER FOR BCAT (Brooklyn Cable Access Television) IN BROOKLYN AND HAVE MANAGED BOTH PROGRAMS SINCE 2000.
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