A scholarship was recently established in memory of Simone Grant Timoney, a 1983 graduate of Catawba College. Simone's aunt, Sylvia Wiseman of Salisbury, gave the initial gift to establish the Simone Grant Timoney Endowed Scholarship.
Simone received a Bachelor of Arts degree, majored in theatre arts and speech, and frequently appeared on Hedrick Little Theatre stage.
A native of Salisbury, Simone was the daughter of Sandra Wiseman Grant and Charles Cary Grant. She attended Sacred Heart School and Knox Junior High and graduated from Salisbury High in 1979.
A resident of Manhattan for about 20 years, she met and married actor Mike Timoney in 1993. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in July 1999 and suffering from brain tumors resulting from that illness, she continued to be active in theater work. Cancer free for nearly six years, her final illness began in the summer of 2005. Simone died in a New York City hospital on Nov. 2, 2005 at 44 years of age.
At age 11, the stage became Simone's love when she starred as Flora in "The Innocents," a play based on Henry James' "Turn of the Screw." This was her first role of many in productions by the local theatre group Piedmont Players.
She later performed as a dancer and actress at venues including Carowinds, Weirs Beach Playhouse in New Hampshire, Killington Playhouse in Vermont, Encore Alley in Vero Beach, Fla., and Murder Mystery Inc. in New York. She was an actor/entertainer on cruise ships including the Queen Mary.
She studied at Weist-Barron theatrical school in New York City and was employed by several Manhattan theater venues, including New York City Opera, ABC daytime drama, films, and Triad Theatre, an off-Broadway cabaret. In recent years, she did voice-overs for Japanimation. At the time of her death, she was assistant manager of Westside Theatre, where she also designed costumes and sets.
Simone's original play focuses on personal experiences of women with breast cancer. Performed by six females, "Tough Titties: Surviving life, love and death" was staged as reader's theater in New York. An audience called the one-act a "witty, provocative drama."
Preference for the Simone Grant Timoney Scholarship will be given to students majoring in Theatre Arts. Memorial contributions to the scholarship by classmates and friends are welcome. Contact the Catawba College Development Office at (704) 637-4394.
