An emotional Susan St. James, who turns 62 next month, received an early birthday present.

Last month, she finally received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

A recent full page ad in "Daily Variety" chronicled her long career in television and movies, including photos of her with costar Rock Hudson in "McMillan & Wife" and Jane Curtain in "Kate & Allie."

The ad, which was placed by husband and children, also included the message: "Congratulations Susan St. James, starring as such characters as Peggy Maxwell, Sally McMillan and Kate McArdle, featured wife and mother and your new starring role as grandmother. All of our love and congratulations from your biggest fan club. Your Family."

These are finally some happy moments for St. James and her third husband NBC sports programming executive Dick Ebersol.

The last time I wrote about this couple was in 2006, after they appeared on Oprah Winfrey's show to discuss "The Ebersol Family Tragedy."

That was the first time since the family's tragic Nov. 28, 2004, plane crash, that St. James, and Ebersol, who were joined by their sons Charles and William, had ever discussed the final moments before the accident, which killed three people, including the couple's 14-year-old son Teddy.

Ebersol, who first met St. James in 1975 when she was hosting "Saturday Night Live" and he was the then-producer, was seriously injured in the charter plane crash in Montrose County, Colo. The pilot of the Bombardier Challenger CL-601 Luis Alberto Polanco and a flight attendant, Warren Richardson III were killed, along with youngest son Teddy, whose body was found under the wreckage two days later.

The aircraft was departing from Montrose Regional Airport near the Telluride Ski Area where the family was vacationing and headed for South Bend, Ind., where son Charles was a senior at Notre Dame. St. James and son William had remained back at their winter cottage with plans to fly home later. An investigation into the accident revealed the plane had not been properly de-iced before take-off.

Ebersol, who turns 61 on July 28, suffered broken ribs, a broken sternum and had fluid in his lungs. Charles suffered a broken hand and two breaks in his back. The copilot of the aircraft, Eric Wicksell, was in critical condition at a burn unit in Denver. Teddy Ebersol Field in Boston was opened by the family in memoriam of the couple's son.

St. James also has two children from her second marriage to Hollywood make-up artist Tom Lucas, daughter Sunshine Lucas, 36 and son Harmony Lucas, 33.

This is the second marriage for Ebersol, who was briefly married to actress Susan Stafford, who's now 63 and who was the original "letter-turner" on "Wheel of Fortune" before Vanna White took over in 1975. Ebersol and Stafford where only married for a short time, from 1976 to 1981, before agreeing to have the marriage annulled.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

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