Pictured: Cee-Cee Deslaurier-Tate (center) with mom Carolyn and Dad Tom, in the town.

Photos of Cee-Cee (in black), mom Carolyn, and dad Tom, in the town “jail”, in front of the chuck wagon, and Cee-Cee and Carolyn on the main street with Kenn Hill at Wild West City in Byram Township, NJ.

For many teenagers looking for role models and people to look up to, they often times zero in on current sports stars, music performers, and actors.

And if you are a Girl Scout working on a Gold Award typically it’s a community project that highlights something new in your neighborhood. 

When Cee-Cee Deslaurier-Tate thinks of a role model to emulate and be inspired by, she goes back in time. To the old west. To a TV show that was a hit that lasted several years starting in 1955.  

And when Cee-Cee thinks of her own Gold Award project, she thinks way out of the box, and periodically brings a part of that to nearby Wild West City in Byram Township.

  

You see, the 18-year old Cee-Cee is a huge admirer of Amanda Blake, who played the role of Miss Kitty (Russell) on the western TV show, Gunsmoke, and that admiration is part of her Gold Award project.

Cee-Cee’s admiration of Amanda Blake, who was also an avid animal advocate, now takes on an even larger role during visits to the western themed park. What makes her dedication in bringing Blake’s memory to life at Wild West City is that she lives several hours away in Milford, MA., about 45 miles west of Boston. 

At Wild West City, Cee-Cee dresses up as Miss Kitty in 1880s clothing. Her mom, Carolyn, and dad Tom, join her in this adventure, dressing up as Miss Clementine and Marshal Matt Dillon (played by James Arness on Gunsmoke). 

“I first became interested in Miss Kitty a little over four years ago as a young teen after a family member introduced me to the 1940’s/50’s original Gunsmoke Radio Show,” said Cee-Cee. “Not too long after, I came across a television episode of Gunsmoke one night while flipping through channels. This episode, ‘Gold Mine,’ happened to center around the character of Miss Kitty and I quickly became hooked. It wasn’t long before the next episode came on, and then the next… of course, I soon got both my parents just as interested in the show as I was. What intrigued me most about the show was the red-haired saloon owner by the name of Kitty Russell. It was not often one would find a strong, independent female character in a Western from the 1950’s/60’s, especially in the role of a tough, yet elegant businesswoman. I began to research the actress behind Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake) and quickly became fascinated with her story, more interesting than any Gunsmoke episode I’ve ever seen! Not just her accomplishments as an actress and within the animal world, but her love for all living creatures, and her genuine kindness and empathy for others. It was then, upon learning how she touched so many lives, that I decided I wanted to dedicate my Gold Award project in her honor.”

And so, Cee-Cee has done extensive research these past two years on Amanda Blake with the ultimate goal of producing a documentary that she hopes will be completed by the end of the summer. 

“Funny enough, I recently learned while watching some old TV interviews, that Ms. Blake herself was, at one time, a Girl Scout, and that she had planned on making a documentary to bring awareness to the plight of endangered animals. I guess, in a way, I am picking up where she left off without even having realized it!” said Cee-Cee.

Blake passed away in 1989 and now, 35 years later, Cee-Cee is determined to finish the job in “gold.”  

Since age 16 she has been working on her Gold Award, the highest nationally-recognized leadership award a Girl Scout may earn.

“I have dedicated over 500 hours thus far in creating a two-pronged project: the first objective is in the form of the documentary honoring Amanda Blake, actress and animal advocate, shedding light on the little-told-story of her instrumental accomplishments as an avid animal advocate and wildlife conservationist,” she said. “I have traveled cross-country to film countless interviews with key individuals who either knew Amanda personally, know of her work, or are experts themselves in the field of animal welfare and conservation. 

“In addition to the documentary, I have also raised funds through my own money-earning project in order to install a memorial paving stone at the Phoenix Zoo, honoring Ms. Blake’s success as one of the world’s first private individuals to breed cheetahs in captivity (thus helping to save the then-endangered species from extinction),” continued Cee-Cee. “As a special guest writer, I wrote and published an article on Ms. Blake’s work within the animal world in, ‘The Wild Times’, the Phoenix Zoo’s international electronic newsletter. In addition, at my request, the Phoenix Zoo’s Ladies’ Auxiliary has generously added a name plate to their memorial armada in Ms. Blake’s honor, as she volunteered with the zoo for about 15 years while living in Paradise Valley (greater Scottsdale area). And finally, I have partnered with the Arizona Animal Welfare League (the state’s oldest and largest no-kill shelter) to erect a second memorial for Ms. Blake for her role as co-founder of the organization back in 1971. Amanda’s vision in creating the sanctuary was to move away from euthanizing animals, creating the first no-kill shelter, paving the way for a movement of no-kill shelters across the country.” 

Cee-Cee also has a Facebook page dedicated to Miss Kitty/Amanda Blake. The link to her Kitty Russell profile is: https://www.facebook.com/KittyARussell/. 

“As Cee-Cee’s mother, and Girl Scout leader these past 12 years, I have watched her progress in skill-building experiences on her journey toward the challenging and prestigious Gold Award, earned by only 5% of Girl Scouts nationwide,” said Carolyn. “Cee-Cee has far exceeded the project’s minimum 80-hour requirement of preparation, planning and implementation, as she works to complete her two-year project, involving both a documentary and physical memorial tributes honoring the life’s work of Amanda Blake as a passionate animal advocate and conservationist. This journey has taken Cee-Cee across the country in interviewing some very high-profile people, as well as down roads she could never have foreseen. The Gold Award has opened doors for Cee-Cee far beyond any scenario we might have envisioned, from making life-long friends of those close to Amanda, to being followed by thousands in her weekly Facebook Gold Award project updates.”

Carolyn added, “As parents, we could not be more enthusiastic over Cee-Cee’s growth toward further independence and risk-taking which the Gold Award calls for, nor more proud of the incredible devotion she has shown these past two years in bringing her vision to life. The invaluable skills she has learned along the way, the experiences of a lifetime, the confidence she has gained, the memories she will keep – her dedication and commitment to her Gold Award are astounding.”   

It was a family trip to Tombstone, Arizona five years ago that was a tipping point for Cee-Cee’s initial love of the Old West. She related, “We had taken a family vacation out to Tombstone when I was in seventh grade. We all instantly fell in love with the Old West, and it was then that my passion for this era first began! We started watching all the old western television shows (and eventually Gunsmoke), so I suppose, had we never taken that first trip out to Tombstone, my love of the Old West and ‘Miss Kitty’ might never have become what it is today! Not a day goes by in our house, that Gunsmoke isn’t referenced or discussed in some shape or form. And yes, there is always an episode playing on the TV!”

“My passion simply grew from there,” she added.

Her parents felt the passion as well.

“Returning to Massachusetts from our first adventure out in Arizona, we were all feeling the Old West fever, wishing to head back before even touching ground back home,” agreed Carolyn and Tom. “We instantly planned a return trip to Tombstone and Tucson, which was de-railed with the onset of the pandemic. It was to be five years before we could return – too difficult a wait, so great was our longing to step back in time to the romanticized era of the American frontier. Cee-Cee was on a mission to find a similar experience on the East Coast and while such locations were popular decades ago, all had disappeared with time, as far as we knew. Based on her research, Cee-Cee persuaded us to take a long road trip down to Wild West City in New Jersey back in the fall of 2022. With a one-way road trip encompassing anywhere from five to seven hours based on seasonal traffic, visiting Wild West City is definitely a long trek down and back for a whirlwind weekend, but so worth the time and effort to live in the past and enjoy adventures with the Wild West City staff, including long time WWC actor Kenn Hill, who suggested we join the Rangers of Wild West City. We did join and everyone there has been so very welcoming.”

“Cee-Cee and her parents have been a great addition at Wild West City,” said Katie Benson, whose family owns the 1880s Dodge City replica amusement park. “We have been so impressed at their dedication not only to Gunsmoke but the Old West overall.” 

“Dressing up” is a family affair for the Deslaurier-Tates, and not just at Wild West City.

“I have always loved to act and have enjoyed dressing up and portraying various characters for as long as I can remember,” said Cee-Cee. “My love of theater, as well as for the character of Miss Kitty inspired me to become what some of us call a ‘tribute artist,’ making appearances as Miss Kitty so that her work not only as an animal advocate, but also as one of Gunsmoke’s most beloved characters, may stay alive for future generations to enjoy. I guess one could say it has become my mission to follow in Ms. Blake’s footsteps! Keeping alive the legacy of Amanda, Gunsmoke and the old Wild West, is something very important to me.”

And when not being in the Old West, the family turns to pirating!

“My parents and I also love attending renaissance faires with family friends, and we all decided one day to go as pirates,” Cee-Cee said. “The theme stuck, and since then we have enjoyed many an outing in our buccaneer attire, along with the character names and backstories we developed for each of them.” 

“Growing up as a generation watching Saturday television westerns, we never lost our love of the Old West, passing on our favorite shows, movies and music to our daughter,” noted Cee-Cee’s parents. “She has always had a natural inclination for acting and with a great love of costumes, it was a natural transition to create our own roles, both as pirates at Renaissance faires and various characters we portray in Old West towns. The reception we receive everywhere we go is heartwarming: the public definitely loves pirates, but there is an astounding following for this western genre, both nationally and globally, as people long for this simpler, romanticized era in history of the American Old West. We feel it important to help carry on our country’s unique frontier legacy to future generations, lest it be forgotten.”

Over the years, the family has taken things even further, creating theme birthday parties for Cee-Cee with all of them dressing in costume, becoming more elaborate as the years passed, from Disney princess stories, through themes such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wizard of Oz, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Gilligan’s Island, the Munsters, and Harry Potter. 

Cee-Cee will be returning to Arizona this fall with an additional goal in mind. A college degree.

“I will be attending college and studying Entrepreneurial Leadership and Theater, traveling down the path toward my future endeavors in pursuing my Old West/Miss Kitty dreams,” she said. “I will continue my work as a Kitty Russell tribute artist, making appearances in various Old West towns out there, and perhaps interning at one or two locations as well. Of course, I will come back to Wild West City when I can! My ultimate goal, which I have had for several years now, is to open up my own old-fashioned western saloon, with live theatrical reenactment shows, appetizers and drinks. It would be such a dream to work with other Gunsmoke tribute artists, bringing Old West fans together to enjoy the comfortable nostalgia of this historic era. As I have mentioned, my main mission has truly become to keep alive both the character of Miss Kitty and the legacy of Gunsmoke as well!”

Based on what Cee-Cee has accomplished already, nobody would be surprised if that old fashioned western saloon she has in mind doesn’t become a reality sooner rather than later. 

To find out what’s new with Cee-Cee’s Gold Award project, check out her Facebook page. For more about Wild West City, visit www.wildwestcity.com.