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Carol A. Kotun is a retired math teacher formerly with Ravenna High School,
where Peggy King graduated in 1947. Although Carol taught at the
school some years after Peggy had left, she continues to follow the progress
of many of its students, particularly those who have been elevated to a
place in the Ravenna High School Hall of Fame. Carol alerted us to
the page on the Ravenna High School website devoted to Peggy's place among
the distinguished alumni of Ravenna High School. That page is reproduced
below, along with a local Ravenna artist's rendition of Peggy using one
of Peggy's familiar publicity pictures for his model. The original
of the sketch now hangs among those of other members of the Hall of Fame
along the corridors of Ravenna High School. (To go to Peggy's actual
Hall of Fame page on the Ravenna High School website just click
here.)
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Peggy King Rudofker
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Inducted - 1994
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Cultural/Performing Arts
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Peggy King Rudofker graduated from Ravenna High School in 1947 and went
on to become part of the Golden Age of TV. Always interested in singing,
she landed two big jobs in Cleveland – vocalist at WGAR and Cleveland’s
top hotel band. She left Ohio and toured with Charlie Spivak’s big band.
She moved on to Ray Anthony’s big band, then to Ralph Flanagan’s top band
in the country, and finally to Mel Torme’s TV show for CBS. Ms. King then
made a jingle for Hunt’s tomato sauce and become an instant sensation.
Mitch Miller heard her and signed her to Columbia Records. From there she
joined the George Gobel Show and became nationally known as "Pretty Perky
Peggy King". In 1955, she was nominated for an Emmy as Best Female Singer
and later performed on the Academy Awards show. She was named Best New
Singer of 1956 by Down Beat and Billboard Magazine and co-hosted the 1958
Emmy Awards. Ms. King has had a varied career, appearing on "The Today
Show", "The Tonight Show", "American Bandstand", "The Jack Benny Show"
and "The Bob Hope Christmas Show". She has performed with the Philadelphia
Orchestra and has helped to write and perform the theme for the NFL’s TV
series "The Men Who Played the Game". She also has a star on Hollywood
Boulevard. Terry Gross, host of the PBS show "Fresh Air" says, "Peggy King
is one of the foremost interpreters of American music. She should be declared
a national treasure."
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