Kitty Anderson, 89, used skills in business, arts

Kitty Anderson parlayed her secretarial skills into a printing and mass mailing business in the 1950s, then used those skills to promote the arts in Atlanta.

The Hastings, England, native honed her skills assisting the U.S. Army during World War II, married an American soldier, and was a legal secretary in Atlanta after the war. In 1955, she struck out on her own to found an independent secretarial service that progressed into a printing business, said Don Yarbrough of Grayson, owner of Aadco Printing and Mailing.

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Family photo

Kitty Anderson, as Queen Victoria in ‘Tea with Scrooge,’ poses with grandchildren Daniel and Linda Blakely.

After 35 years, Mrs. Anderson merged her company, Alpha Printing and Mailing, with Aadco, where she was vice president.

“She was a very determined lady, determined to succeed,” Mr. Yarbrough said.

Succeed she did in business and in supporting theater and opera in Atlanta through the Pro-Mozart Society and the English Speaking Union.

“She worked unbelievable hours,” said her son-in-law, Jim Blakely, of Dunwoody. Mrs. Anderson, divorced soon after moving to Atlanta in 1948, filled her evening hours spending time with the daughter she reared alone, helping run avocational theaters and heading back to the office for more work.

“She always supported herself and did it with a flair,” said Mark Taylor of Atlanta, a friend since the 1950s.

The funeral for Mildred Beatrice “Kitty” Catt Anderson, 89, is at 2 p.m. today at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church. She died of heart and lung problems Thursday at her Sandy Springs residence. H.M. Patterson & Son, Oglethorpe Hill, is in charge of arrangements.

Clients such as Dante Stephensen, owner of Dante’s Down the Hatch, relied on Mrs. Anderson’s grammatical skills to ensure that every page that left her printer was perfect. Since the early 1970s, she proofread and printed Mr. Stephensen’s annual Christmas letter that grew to 20 pages.

“Beyond the fact that she was an excellent proofreader, she couldn’t keep her mouth shut about politics. She was the consummate liberal,” Mr. Stephensen said. “We were good for each other because there was an intellectual curiosity about our political discussions. We helped balance each other.”

It was U.S. soldiers who gave her the nickname Kitty, and she enjoyed being Kitty Catt until her marriage to a U.S. Army captain named Anderson, Mr. Blakely said.

In no time after moving to Atlanta, she moved into theater acting roles as diverse as Alma Winemiller in “Summer and Smoke” and Vera Charles in “Auntie Mame.”

In 1991 Mrs. Anderson, a board member of the Alliance Theatre and the Atlanta Opera, was one of about 40 people who met to determine the top needs of Atlanta’s arts community. She served on other theater boards and, through her business, handled their mass mailings, printing and promotional materials.

She devoted more time to organizing projects for the English Speaking Union and the Pro-Mozart Society. In her 70s, Mrs. Anderson put her stage voice to work reading for the blind and as a lay reader at St. Bartholomew’s, Mr. Blakely said. Her crisp, clear voice and slight English accent made her a favorite lay reader, he added.

At 83, she traveled to China because it was something new, a very different experience, her son-in-law said.

“She popped up everywhere because she was involved in everything,” Mr. Taylor said.

Survivors include two grandchildren.