Young actor’s death prompts generous gifts — for 20 years and counting

Tim Redovian, a young actor at the DeKalb School of the Arts, died when he was 16, but his story didn’t end there.

It continues this Saturday, when friends, family, musicians, actors and other theater folks will gather at a Dunwoody restaurateur's house to watch the Kentucky Derby, to toast Tim's memory with champagne, and to tell the latest chapter of the tale that won't stop.

Tim Redovian has helped dozens of students go to college and music school. He has bought instruments for high school bands, sent singers on tours and to workshops.

These things were paid for by the Tim Redovian Memorial Fund, which, in the 20 years since Tim died, has generated $220,000 in scholarships and another $75,000 in gifts to schools.

Saturday’s party, at a private home on a lake, will expand that fund by about $5,000. Tickets are $50 each, and about 100 guests are expected. There will also be a silent auction and other money-raising activities. (The guest list is already full.)

The party will serve as a homecoming for many past scholarship winners, some of whom will provide a little musical entertainment for the guests.

Many people might say that the credit for these things goes to Sherrill and Jim Redovian, for the continuous hard work of maintaining the memorial fund, seeking donors, holding fundraisers, auditioning prospective winners and spreading information about the nonprofit.

Those people would be right, but not 100 percent right. Sherrill Redovian would divert much credit to her board. Then there is the ineffable effect that Tim had on his friends.

Tim, the youngest of six, was not a spectacular looker, though his dark wavy hair and round eyeglasses gave him the look of a Daniel Radcliffe in one of the early “Harry Potter” movies.

What set him apart was a seriousness of purpose and focus, mixed with joy. He decided at age 9 he wanted to be on Broadway, and moved toward that goal with intensity; training, rehearsing and performing at every opportunity.

And yet he seems to have made many friends along the way. “My board members, many of their hearts were touched by Tim,” said Sherrill.

Classmates continued to remember him, as they pursued careers in the arts.

One actress, currently appearing in "The Book of Mormon," carried a photograph of Tim in her pocket for years, said Sherrill Redovian. Another, who played Glinda in "Wicked," frequently wore yellow socks in his honor. (Yellow was his favorite color.)

Tim had begun acting in commercials and industrials as a preteen and had put $10,000 in the bank.

In one of his videos, you can’t detect it, but he already had a cough.

“He had a three-week illness,” Sherrill said. “He was healthy, then he had a cold and a cough, then he had pneumonia, and then he was gone.”

Tim was stricken with acute respiratory distress syndrome, a complication of viral pneumonia.

“I want people to know about this little boy,” Sherrill said. “He did so much. He was pretty normal, but he was super talented and he was a super kid. He wanted to work hard and he wanted to be on Broadway. All things considered, he had a chance. He didn’t get to fulfill his dream.”

Tim died in November 1996. People began giving gifts in his honor, and Sherrill and Jim didn’t know what to do with them, so they created the memorial fund. They gave out the first scholarships the next May.

Sherrill took a back seat in organizing the Kentucky Derby party this year because she's been traveling each day to see her oldest child, Kelly Hughes, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and is currently recovering from surgery and going through chemotherapy.

Despite her experiences with disaster, Sherrill Redovian remains an optimist about her daughter’s future. “She’s going to get over it,” she said.