by Rev. Austin Miles WASHINGTON, D.C (5/19/13). The delayed announcement has just gone out about the death of actress Christine White on April 14, 2013 at Brinton Woods Nursing Home in Washington, D.C. She was 86.

A mutual friend of hers, Chaplain Carson Curcini alerted me this afternoon. A competent actress. she appeared in more than 50 films and TV series episodes such as, Father Knows Best, Alfred Hitchock Presents, Perry Mason, Bonanza and The Fugitive.

She was especially applauded for her role in the Twilight Zone episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with William Shatner. A destructive gremlin appeared on the wing of the plane they were on. Fans declared that show as "The best Twilight Film ever."

She was best known for her close relationship with James Dean, the moody younng actor who became a cult figure. She had met him through his agent, where Christine worked as a typist. He was her partner for an audition before the Lee Strasberg Actor's Studio in New York City to train in that famous school. And that became a lifelong relationship. This writer suspects it was an almost romantic one.

In 1976 she appeared in a TV movie about the life of James Dean, playing a secretary, which she was when she met him. That would be her last screen credit.

In her later years, she became a patriot activist in Washington, D.C. and did not hide her Christian devotion and faith. A couple of years ago she had flown to California to introduce a script she had written, visiting actors in San Francisco and Hollywood who might be cast. Her health began to deteriorate not long after that trip.

She then dropped out of sight. Friends could not reach her. Born on May 4, 1926 (not 1932 as was incorrectly reported) and passed away on April 14, 2013. She will be greatly missed by those of us who knew her and loved her.