I heard stories of an incident out at the Hormel home (now Gerard) where the local police discovered Leslie wearing only her beautiful French smile…rumor or fact??
Any stories about the Hormel boys…Geordie and his brothers? I heard they were chauffered to school and that the Hormel home had secret rooms/passages due to the fears of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping.
There is some truth. My parents founded the Gerard Schools, and we lived in the home as we transitioned it from the oblate brothers retreat to a school for children. The neatest secret room was actually a bar constructed during prohibition. A panel opened up in a “game room” area to reveal a keyhole. When you turned the key, an entire wall slid back (like a huge pocket door, basically, on a garage door-like track) to reveal the full bar behind it.
No other secret rooms – but some interesting features, e.g. a livable attic space accessible only by a ladder-like steps in a tiny off room, a peep hole in the floor of a closet that looked down in the bay window area of the game room. Needless to say, it was kind of a fun place for nine-year-old me.
I was ice skating at skinners hill lagoon and a limousine pulled up and this beautiful woman stepped out with a little girl about 4-6 years old! They both were dressed in black long coats, furry white hats, and white furry muffs covering their hands! They skated around the lagoon about 5 times, smiled at me, got back in the limo and drove away! I know it was Leslie Caron as I recognized her in a movie a few years later! A wonderful
Memory and experience for a young girl to carry her whole life
He claimed to have invented the corn-dog as a teen growing up in Minnesota…
I had heard she is the one that started the whole Hormeeel pronunciation as opposed to Hormel(Hormul). Anybody else been told that story?
My husband did yard work at Hormel estate in the 50’s. Saw Leslie at the pool several times!
My folks knew them. They loved to hang out at Geordie’s house which was also a restaurant and hear him play the piano in his combo. Leslie and my Mom drank wine and teased each other how two big city women ended up marrying and living in a small town in Minnesota. Leslie was from Paris France and Mom from Chicago. Leslie was also a terrific French cook besides being an actress and dancer.
