My journey ends here...
In June 1949 Marilyn was in New York City, for the roadshow of her movie "Love Happy".
Photoplay magazine sponsored the "Dream house" contest, and Marilyn had been chosen to give the key to the winner.
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She attended along with other actors such as Don Defore, Lon McCallister, Donald Buka and also Cotton
Northrup, executive vice-president of the National Retail Lumber Dealers Association (
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They travelled altogether by train from New York City to Warrensburg, New York on June 21, 1949
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The winner chosen among 250 000 entrants, Virginia MacAllister, attended the event with crutches after a skiing accident; widowed since 1945, she had a son, Gordon Jr "Rusty", aged 5.
Her late husband, Reverend Gordon MacAllister was an Episcopal minister with a parish in Trenton, New Jersey. He died of polio after a 3 day illness in 1945.
The owner of the local lumber company that built the house, Mr Griffin, made an inspection of the house next to Marilyn and Donald Buka. It was located at Ten James Street in Warrensburg, New York.
The house has a large basement, after a special request from Rusty, which did not appear in the original plans.
It was selected by movie stars Shirley Temple, Loretta Young, Claudette Colbert, Gregory Peck, Joan Crawford and director Mitch Leisen.
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Photoplay's editor Adele Fletcher presented the deed to the house, along with the keys, to Virginia McAllister :
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interview 
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visit of the house
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Following the ceremony, Photoplay organized a cocktail party at the Colonial Arms in Warrenburg. The winner and the stars were late at the party.
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Virginia McAllister, a registered nurse, worked in summers at her parents' camp for girls "Niaweh", and winters as a ski instructor at North Creek.
They lived there with Rusty until his 11th
birthday (
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to New York City then in New Rochelle.
She became a writer, penning numerous paperback novels for teenager girls.
She died in Newport Beach in 1998.
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