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16 The Costume Designer Spring 2016 Mina Mittelman did not have as far to travel to find Hollywood. A relative of Moe Howard of the Three Stooges fame, she recalls, as a child, seeing her parents entertaining many early Hollywood film celebrities. Her costume training came largely through a tenure at Western Costume Company. She was there during the wonderful time when Lily Fonda ran the workroom and Albert Nichols ran the establishment. Mittelman had an eye and taste and knowledge which attracted designers like Irene Sharaff and Dorothy Jeakins. She made herself indispensable. In fact, Sharaff insisted that Mittelman accompany her to Spain to costume the background for The Great White Hope. Creating background characters was one of Mittelman's passions, she believed it was as important as costuming the principals. During the 1970s and 1980s, Mittelman was in demand both designing and costuming television series and movies. As a designer, her credits included Malice in Wonderland, The Little Match Girl, I'll Fly Away, and two Cagney & Lacey fllms. As a costumer, she costume supervised Mission: Impossible, The Man With Two Brains, Pretty Baby, A Walton Wedding, and many more. As a dual-card holder, she was Emmy nominated twice for Costume Design, and four times for costuming. The Legacy Committee of the Costume Designers Guild is delighted to honor three outstanding members: Mina Mittelman, Rita Riggs, and Eilish Zebrasky at their annual Legacy Brunch on May 22, 2016. These three accomplished women have had long and varied careers in designing and costuming film and television. All three are dual-card holders in both the Costume Designers Guild and Motion Picture Costumers. Rita Riggs' journey took her from a small mining town in Arkansas to California at age 9. There was already no doubt what she wanted to do with her life and after graduating with a degree in theater from the University of Arizona under the mentor- ship of esteemed costume professor Dr. Fairfax Proudfit Walkup, she started working in the film business. Early years were spent on Alfred Hitchcock films, a man she credits with teaching her a great deal about filmmaking. But her main employer, mentor, and friend was producer Norman Lear for whom she created the costumes for the groundbreaking TV show All in the Family, and most of his comedies that followed, such as The Jeffersons, Maude, and many more clas- sics in the genre. She also designed many of his feature films during hiatus months in between juggling one to six sitcoms at a time. In 2003, the Costume Designers Guild awarded her a Career Achievement Award for her work in television. Riggs still owns the design studio she bought and renovated in Hollywood which has served as her home base for so many years. At age 85, she hopes to live as long as her father, who passed away at age 101. Eilish McNulty Zebrasky was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. One of nine children, she went to work at 15 as a seamstress making men's suits, but her heart was elsewhere. Zebrasky had seen the film Palm Springs Weekend at a local movie theater, which inspired her to dream of going to America. When she learned of an opportunity to apply for a governess position, she took the chance and found herself in the United States, living in Toluca Lake, working for a family right across the street from Warner Bros. Studios. Zebrasky got a job at Warner Bros. as a seam- stress on the film Camelot. She became an expert ager and dyer working with Irene Sharaff and Howard Shoup. She also spent time working at Bermans Costume Rentals, where she learned the business of renting costumes. Eventually, Zebrasky became assistant to Grady Hunt at the Columbia Television Wardrobe Department. Nolan Miller introduced her to Aaron Spelling, where she spent much of her career creating the Aaron Spelling Rental Department and supervis- ing all of Spelling's television shows. Zebrasky was nominated twice for a Primetime Emmy Award for Murder, She Wrote in 1993 and 1995. Legacy RITA RIGGS Eilish McNulty Zebrasky MINA MITTELMAN BY DIANA EDEN