
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, July 1, 1990                   TAG: 9007020272
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: C-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

GOOLEY'S PARTY

TALK ABOUT turning a lemon into lemonade: Kathleen Gooley of Norwalk, Conn., turned a jilt into joy last weekend. After her fiance nixed their scheduled nuptials, Gooley was left with a catering bill of $4,450 for hors d'oeuvres, garden salad, fruit cups, stuffed chicken breast, string beans almandine, baked potato, cake and ice cream that would have been served at the reception.

Rather than hide her face, Gooley ordered the caterers to bring on the food and invited 150 people from homeless shelters and soup kitchens to come and enjoy it in a setting replete with chandeliers, pink tablecloths and a spacious dance floor.

It was apparently the only hot meal many of Gooley's guests ate all month.

And so the event became a happy party for a bunch of folks who don't have much call on happy feelings these days. The homeless men asked Gooley to dance. Homeless women danced with babies in their arms. And it was "better than a wedding," said the scorned bride. The runaway groom must not know what he's given up.

by CNB