************ WE LOVE YOU KAREN! **********
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Karen Umphrey was born in Los Angeles, California on September 8, 1959. Her father was a Baptist minister. Both her mom & dad were very involved in the church. They've been divorced for awhile, and her mom is still very active in her church and other social/volunteer activities in her town. She works as a psychologist/councelor, and has written a Christian based self-help book. Karen has 1 sibling- a brother named Mark who is 2 years older and was a popular football player in high school. Karen was a beautiful baby... blonde hair, big blue eyes, cute smile. She grew tall (5'9") by the time she was in high school and was very pretty. She attended Orville Wright Junior High and Westchester High School. Active in cheerleading, drama club, Girl Scouts, acting and modeling classes... Karen was quite popular. Her former classmates tell me that she was the prettiest girl in school and had very sweet personality. In November 1972, Karen made her modeling debute in Young 'n loving Teen magazine with 3 small photos. The staff was so impressed by her beauty, style and personality... that they did a 2 page feature on her in the March 1973 issue! In February '73, Karen appeared in Star magazine... an iconic magazine geared to teen (girls) that lasted 6 issues (only 5 were published). 1973 Star magazine featured young teen Hollywood girls (model/groupies) such as Sabel Starr, Lori Mattix, Shray Mecham, Queenie, Patty Clark, Karen Umphrey, and RITA WILSON (Tom Hank's wife). They wore tons of glam makeup, sky-high platform shoes, funky jewelry, outrageous clothing, sequins, rhinestones and glitter. Karen was the cover model on the April and the June '73 issues. These rare collectible magazines sell today from $150-$300!!! Karen also appeared in the highly collectible August 1974 Creem magazine article, "The Girls of Hollywood", where she appeared with her friends (and reknown groupies) Sabel Star, Lori Mattix and Queenie.These are some comments that Karen's classmates have to say about her: "Karen's personality as I remember it was sweet in nature. When she started modeling, she didn't turn her back on her friends"... "She was a cute girl at 13. She hung out at Gillis Beach lifeguard tower"... "She was very sweet and quite pretty"... "Karen was a very private person"... "She was the hottest girl on campus".In 1976 Karen went to Japan to model. In 1979 she went to Australia and did a test shot which appeared in an issue of Australian Playboy. Soon after, she met her (former) partner, Derham, there. A few years later they started a family. Derham is a former pro surfer and model. He also is a talented artist/painter. They have 5 beautiful children: Jarrah, 21, a pro surfer and model. Amber, 19, an environmentalist. Dane, 17, a pro soccer player... and a young son and daughter. Karen also has an older daghter fom a previous marriage and 1 child who passed away (this is hearsay and not confirmed).Hello everyone, my name is Jane. I've been a fan of Karen Umphrey since I was 12 and saw her in Teen magazine and again in 1973 Star magazines. Like many others, I've often wondered what happened to her over the years... so I did an internet search on her and found that there was virtually no info on her. That's how I began the (official) Karen Umphrey fansite. Several of the friends here on Karen's myspace site are former schoolmates of hers. Others have seen Karen in Star magazine and were influenced by her style, beauty, exciting magazine covers and photos! There are even a few of her relatives here too.... AND of course, her children: Jarrah, Amber and Dane. I'm THRILLED that I have been influential in introducing Karen Umphrey to so many people out there. Karen has a whole new generation of fans...the young girls (and guys) who dig the models, groupies and style of the 70's. People write to me and tell me how much they enjoy this site, how they think Karen is so beautiful (then AND now)... and love her style. I appreciate all your lovely comments and feedback. I'm frequently asked of I ever hear from Karen, and sadly the answer is "no". I HAVE received messages from her 3 children. Her daughter, Amber, recently told me that Karen has seen this site, and they enjoyed looking at all the photos. It's my understanding that Karen is a Buddhist and is quite private. She lives in Queensland Australia with her boyfriend, Hugh. ******ALONG WITH YOUR FRIEND REQUEST, PLEASE TELL ME HOW YOU KNOW ABOUT KAREN AND WHY YOU WANT TO BE ADDED. I DO NOT ACCEPT REQUESTS FROM THOSE WITH PRIVATE PROFILES******