The Journal

Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: LifeStyle

Media Credit: Ashley Gieseking Webster alumna Kathleen Mickey and her daughter Caitlin, a freshman musical theater major, in front of the Loretto-Hilton Center.

"I've already had so many different lives," said Kathleen Mickey, a Webster alumna and development assistant in the Webster Development/Alumni Office. Mickey's career included a stint as a dancer in New York and an advertiser in Hollywood.


However, for her daughter Caitlin Mickey, a current freshman musical theater major, life as a performer has just begun. Kathleen and Caitlin Mickey are bound by more than just genetics. This mother-daughter team also share a love for dance, a passion for theater and a zest for life.


Kathleen Mickey has a long history with Webster, which dates back to the 1960s. Kathleen first enrolled at Webster in 1966. The St. Louis native was a major in theater arts and also studied dance. She said she has been a ballet dancer ever since she was a child.


"I chose Webster because I was a ballet dancer, and I found out they had an excellent ballet teacher," Kathleen Mickey said.


Kathleen Mickey studied at Webster for two years before she was hired to dance in New York. With no hesitation and much support, she packed up and moved to the Big Apple.


"My parents were instrumental (in) my moving to New York," Kathleen Mickey said.


She continued to further her career in New York for eight years, but found her way back to St. Louis from time to time. Kathleen Mickey returned to perform at The Muny, an outdoor amphitheater in Forest Park, during the summers of 1968 and 1969, as well as at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in 1970. However, at age 25, Kathleen Mickey decided to retire from dancing and take her life in a different direction.


"I had danced for so many years, I just wanted to do something different," Kathleen Mickey said.


While still living in New York, Kathleen Mickey entered the advertising and publicity industry. In her job, she threw parties for celebrities, including a birthday party for actress Lauren Bacall. However, with what Kathleen Mickey calls "very good timing," she moved to Los Angeles to tackle another opportunity.


Kathleen Mickey began working for Paramount Pictures in Hollywood. She was a freelance script supervisor and started mingling with some of Hollywood's A-listers. The long list of celebrities she met includes Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Mel Brooks, Ethel Merman and Steve McQueen.

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