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

DATE: SUNDAY, November 26, 1995                   TAG: 9511250007
SECTION: HORIZON                    PAGE: F-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DAN SEWELL ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ATLANTA                                LENGTH: Medium

SOME OF THE FAMOUS WHO CARED

When country music star Mary Chapin Carpenter made raising awareness and support of CARE part of her current concert tour, she joined a line of celebrity backers that dates back to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and the relief group's founding 50 years ago.

``I think it all comes down to how good an organization is, how solid their work is,'' said the singer of such hits as ``I Feel Lucky'' and ``Shut Up and Kiss Me.'' ``CARE is utterly nonpartisan. It's not fraught with controversy. It's not anything but an organization that works for the best.''

Carpenter is donating proceeds from her souvenir tour book to CARE, and the book and her compact disc booklet urge support of the relief and development organization. Her tour sponsor, Starbucks Coffee, has for years been a corporate contributor to CARE.

A CARE celebrity scrapbook would include Whoopi Goldberg, Alec Baldwin, Jamie Lee Curtis and mom Janet Leigh, Woody Allen, Marlon Brando, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford and Bing Crosby. And, of course, Douglas Fairbanks.

Fairbanks, who served in the Navy during World War II, returned home with accounts of ``just great suffering I saw, over vast territories all through Europe.''

The star of film classics such as ``Gunga Din'' and ``The Prisoner of Zenda'' met with a friend, New York banker Paul French, to discuss how best to marshal relief to postwar Europe. That helped lead to 22 charity, labor and business groups coming together to form CARE on Nov. 28. 1945.

``How time flies!'' said Fairbanks, now 85. ``I'm just very proud to have been able to do anything at all. I'm very glad that it all came off.''

Fairbanks rounded up famous friends to publicize the new group.

``I got fine support from my colleagues,'' he said. ``We raised money all over the country. There was a radio program. And even contact with foreign heads of state.''

While in Italy distributing CARE packages, Fairbanks was invited to an audience with Pope Pius XII, who apparently didn't get out to the movies very often.

With a chuckle, Fairbanks recounted: ``He asked me, `Do you have any other business besides CARE?' ''

by CNB