Gary natives mourn Whitney Houston

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Updated: February 17, 2012 4:58PM

The death of Whitney Houston last weekend brought sadness to many, including Gary natives Ron Bush Jr. and Pam Lewis Rudden.

Both reflected on fond memories involving the late award-winning singer and actress. Rudden, who lives in London with her husband and is vice president and general manager at Plutonic Productions, recalled the opportunity to witness a happy moment for Houston: her July 1992 wedding to former New Edition member and R&B singer Bobby Brown.

Rudden said at the time she’d just started her company, P.Funk Music Video Promotions, and her then-boyfriend, the author, filmmaker, writer and producer Nelson George was in Los Angeles at the time working on the movie “CB4” when he received an invitation.

“Nelson said I could attend on his behalf and I went with a friend. It was a very lavish affair and Whitney was stunning up close,” Rudden said. “She was so joyful and radiant, and that’s how I choose to remember her ... at her best and happiest!”

Bush, who has a lengthy career as a technician for Patti LaBelle, Luther Vandross and Michael Jackson, also worked for Houston as a drum and guitar technician during a U.S. tour and the 1994 concert in South Africa that aired on HBO.

“I was called in to be the drum technician, first in the U.S. leg of the tour. Then I was called back to work for Miss Houston in South Africa. We had 34 semi-trucks filled with equipment. I never got close to her since she’d show up when all the preparations were complete,” Bush said. “But I communicated a lot with her mother Cissy and other family members who would travel with her.”

Bush said he followed advice from the late West Side High School drama teacher Al Boswell. “He said do your job and stay out of the way … and I did just that.”

Remember, 6 p.m. Friday at The Glen Theatre, 20 W. Ridge Road, is the opening night of the William L. Johnson Film Festival featuring a weekend of movies starring Johnson who is a Gary native and Emerson Visual and Performing Arts alumnus. Friday is sponsored by the Urban League of Northwest Indiana and includes a reception with Johnson, director Van Elder and actor Walter Jones.

Tickets for Friday are $25 each, $50 to sponsor, and are available for purchase at the Urban League office, 3101 Broadway. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Those tickets can be purchased at Beautiful Things, 3570 Village Court inside the Village Shopping Center.

Tickets for the National Council of Negro Women Heritage Gala, 4 p.m. Saturday at the Genesis Convention Center, are $35. No tickets sold at the door. See www.ncnw@sbcglobal.net for more information.