ACTORS' FUND OF AMERICA

(AFA)

   In 1882, producer Harrison Grey Fiske lobbied through the New York Dramatic Mirror to establish a charitable organization to support the needs of elderly, infirm, or indigent actors. Major players and producers of the day, including Edwin Booth, Joseph Jefferson III, Lawrence Barrett, A. M. Palmer, P. T. Barnum, and Edward Harrigan, were among its founders, with a $500 contribution from Booth. Lester Wallack was AFA's first president, and producer Daniel Frohman later held the office. In 1902, a retirement home was established on Staten Island, but it was eventually moved to Englewood, New Jersey.