Crowley, Olene (November 1917-December 28, 2020)
Dates
- Existence: November 1917 - December 28, 2020
Biography
Olene Trust Trolinger was born in November 1917 in Garden City, Missouri, to John and Grace Trolinger. She married Mr. Crowley in 1943, although the marriage did not last and she has lived on her own ever since. When she first came to Kansas City she worked at National Photo by the early 1950s. The Crowley’s had one son, Mack, who grew up to become a barber/cosmetologist. He and his wife, Linda, has one son, Dennis, and one daughter, Denise. Mack died at age 53 from cancer. At the time of her donation and oral history interview, Ms. Crowley was 94-years-old, turning 95 on November 20.
Crowley first worked as a cocktail hostess at the Trocadero Club, about 1962 (she mentioned Frank Giamalva who is identified on one of her photographs of that club). One day she got a call from John Tucillo, owner of the Jewel Box Lounge, who invited her to cover for her good friend, Helen Armstrong. Crowley ended up working as a cocktail hostess for Mr. Tucillo at all of his clubs for more than 27 years. Local female impersonator, Bruce Winter (aka. Melinda Ryder), said, “Olene was petite and always wore jump suits with hip pads and was all decked out to the nines, so she fit right in with the other drag queens and EVERYONE loved her to death. We’re still friends. And, I was friends with her grandson, Dennis Crowley, many years ago.”
- David W. Jackson
