Kathy Page Remembered as Caring, Active Member of Community

Friends and colleagues of the late Kathy Page remember her as a shrewd, outgoing, deeply caring and motivated woman who fought for her causes.

Heavily involved with the city of West Hollywood, Page served as a member of the Senior Advisory Board from 1996 to 2001 and then joined the Transportation Commission as an at-large member for the last 10 years of her life. She actively promoted the use of public transportation and fought tirelessly for “my seniors” as she liked to refer to them.

Born in Brooklyn on Nov. 15, 1927, Page died at age 83 on July 17, just a few months after being diagnosed with lung cancer. A memorial service for her will be held on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in with a reception to follow.

Page came to California in 1955 to work with Walt Disney on the opening of Disneyland. Later she worked for composer Henry Mancini, but spent a majority of her career at 20th Century Fox.  

Next-door neighbor Ken Harwood credits Page with helping to guide his career, thanks to her thorough understanding of the entertainment industry.

“She told it like it was,” Harwood told Patch. “I could always go to her with concerns about my career and she would give me her own experiences. That’s what I loved about her the most, her wisdom and courage guided me.”

Longtime friend Don Wayne of Santa Barbara was her traveling companion. The two toured the world, taking more than a dozen trips together, including Egypt, India, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, France, Poland and Kenya.

“We traveled well together,” Wayne said. “I would go off and take pictures while Kathy would make friends with people on the tour. When I’d get back from taking pictures, there’d be a whole group of new friends to have dinner with. Many of them we kept up with long after the trips.”

Known as a consummate entertainer, Page often gave dinner parties at her apartment on Sweetzer Avenue. “She always set a table properly, even had name cards at everyone’s place,” said Wayne. “If she didn’t have the proper dishes for the meal, she’d go out and get them. She never just made do.”

Harwood added that when she had people from other countries to dinner, she would put a flag from that nation on her door to greet them.

A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1959, Page routinely received copies of Oscar nominated movies. But as her attorney and fellow Transportation Commission David Eichman recalled, she always followed the Academy’s guidelines.

“She would never loan the movies out,” Eichman said. “Instead, she’d have people over to watch the movies with her.”

On the Transportation Commission, Eichman recalled how she routinely talked about her experiences in using public transportation.

“She never owned a car,” Eichman said, “so she was one of the few commissioners who actually used public transportation regularly, especially the CityLine and Dial-a-Ride.”

Page pushed hard to ensure transportation services for seniors, including the taxi vouchers. “She was a shrewd lady,” said Wayne. “She always got what she wanted and knew how to go about getting it. She was a typical New Yorker. Very strong willed.”

Daphne Dennis, social services manager at City Hall, frequently worked with Page, noting that she was one of the city’s most active constituents. “We’d see her all the time at city meetings and events,” said Dennis. “She was the type of person you want in your community.”

Never married, Page is survived by a nephew in New Jersey and a grand nephew in Rhode Island. Local friends are raising money for a plaque to be added to the donor wall in the city’s new library.

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