June Preston

June Preston, one of the last remaining child actors of Hollywood's Golden Age turned world-renowned opera singer, has passed away at the age of 93.

June Preston was born December 29, 1928, in Glendale, CA. She was discovered on the RKO studio lot at age three which resulted in two consecutive 7-year contracts, as well as working for various other movie studios throughout the years. Preston made her screen debut at age 4 as the daughter of Hilda Vaughn's Mrs. Blewett in RKO's Anne of Green Gables (1934), other movies included, Paramount's (1940) Christmas in July, MGM's (1937) Maytime, Paramount's (1941) The Strawberry Blond, (1938) Our Gang Follies, to name a few.

Preston's trademark was her cherub-like looks. She was also a Meglin Kiddie, famed Dance Studio in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, CA. Preston sang, danced, and acted in short films and performed regularly at the Wadsworth Theatre in West Los Angeles. (Other child stars to emerge as "Meglin Kiddies" included Preston's "rival" Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Jane Withers, Virginia Grey and Ann Miller.)

Preston had numerous merchandising contracts including multiple June Preston Frocks apparel lines, including coats, hats, slips, swimsuits, snowsuits, purses and shoes etc., as well as various toys, and the June Preston doll all sold worldwide.  Preston also had Apparel Ensembles designed exclusively for some department stores such as Marshall Fields Department Store in Chicago, IL and others nationwide.

Preston later went on to become a distinguished opera singer performing around the world. She was discovered at age 16 by Maestro Gustav Stern, a German conductor, vocal coach, and professor at Seattle University, who coached her throughout university. Within this time period, Preston performed with the Seattle Civic Light Opera Company which Stern conducted several operettas featuring Preston in the lead, such as Camille in "The Merry Widow", Marietta in "Naughty Marietta", Micaela in "Carmen", Gianetta in "Gondoliers" "New Moon", and "Der Fledermaus", and also performed in The Metropolitan Theater, Seattle Civic Auditorium under the baton of Gustav Stern.

In 1949 Preston was offered a world tour and began touring abroad.  In her early career, Preston was sponsored by corporations such as CocaCola, McCann-Erickson, Gaseosas, and the US Ebassy as their exclusive artist performing concerts and recitals for radio and television programs such as, Telephone Hour and London BBC and others.  CocaCola deemed June Preston "The Golden Voice" in their advertisements.  

In 1952, at the tender age of 24, Preston debuted with The Metropolitan Opera touring company on a South American tour in the leading roles of 'Tosca' and 'Mimi' in La Boheme, singing opposite Metropolitan great, Jan Peerce as well as performing with Salvatore Baccaloni, Nicola Maconi, Walter Fredericks, Robert Weede, Graciela Rivera, Uta Graf, Herva Nelli, Jean Madeira and Lily Pons.  

In the following decade Preston would go on to perform around the globe in the most prestigious opera houses in the world as well as performing recitals with the most prominent symphony orchestras in the US, Europe, Central and South America. Preston was sought after for her beautiful and passionate voice possessing a five-octave range. She was deemed the "The Voice of the Times" by some of the top opera critics.

In 1960 Preston returned to the US and made her debut at the St. Louis Symphony Hall as a guest star soloist under the baton of Leopold Stokowski for the thrilling last movement finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Other guest stars on the bill included Isaac Stern, Leonard Bernstein, Leslie Chabay and Jean Madeira.

In 1961, Preston began her European tour and at that time, she met Belgian concert violinist, Saul Houben. Preston concluded her 2 year tour then married Houben and the following year she retired to raise their new daughter.  In 1996, Preston was inducted into the WSHS Hall of Fame in West Seattle where it all began and received a congratulatory note from George and Barbara Bush.

June Preston is survived by her daughter, Sabrina and son-in-law John Pires, sister, Lita Preston-Chase, nieces, nephews, and dear friend Rose Jeffer and her family.

June Preston will be laid to rest in a private ceremony at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Hollywood Hills, California.