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Gross, Dorothy Bercu, 1917-2015

 Person

Biography

Naomi Dorothea (Dorothy) Bercu was born June 14, 1917 in Douglas, Wyoming. Her father George Bercu owned the Chicago Hide, Fur and Wool Company in Douglas and in Denver. He married Olive Mistachkin and the couple became parents of Dorothy (1917-2015), Harryette (1918), Robert (1919), Bernard (1921), and Berverly (1935). From 1925-1928, Dorothy and Harryette danced on the Orpheum Vaudeville circuit around the west. They were later joined by Bob and Bernard and the whole troupe performed from New York City to Juarez, Mexico. The sisters also danced from 1936 to 1939. Dorothy attended the University of Utah in Ogden, Utah beginning in 1930 at the age of sixteen. She started a theatrical booking agency in Salt Lake City and taught dancing. Dorothy married Norman Gross in 1941 after he had signed up for her dance class. They raised three children, Valerie (Schreiber), Gary, and Dennis in Dallas, Texas. She also taught fitness classes. She died in Dallas in 2015.

Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:

Bercu Gross Family Collection

 Collection
Identifier: B356
Abstract

The material in the collection includes items, photographs, and papers related to Dorothy Bercu Gross and her husband Norman Gross, her extended family, and her Vaudeville career in the 1920s and 1930s. Her father owned the Chicago Hide, Fur and Wool Company in Douglas, Wyoming and Denver, Colorado. The collection spans from the late 1800s to 2015 and illustrates an extended Jewish family and vaudeville performers.

Dates: 1904-2015

Box 48, 1929-2002

 File — Box B356.02.0048: Series B356.02 [Barcode: U186023246560]
Identifier: B356.02.0048
Scope and Contents

Contains scrapbook (1930s and 1940s); Harold (Bob) Bercu photograph and correspondence (circa 1945); Norman Mistachkin (1935); George Bercu photograph (circa 1925); pencil drawing of Dorothy Bercu (2002) and George Bercu Masonic documents (1929).

Dates: 1929-2002

Box 49, 1900 - 2005

 File — Box B356.05.0049: Series B356.05 [Barcode: U186023306069]
Identifier: B356.05.0049
Abstract

Box predominantly contains materials relevant to Valerie Gross Horwitz as well as a photo of Florence Mistachkin, photos of Valerie Horwitz, Julian Horwitz, and photos of their children. Other materials include scrapbook pages, certifications, diplomas, and caricature drawings of Valerie, Norman, and Dorothy Gross.

Dates: 1900 - 2005