Obituaries : Genevieve M. Hibbott; Hollywood Secretary

Genevieve M. Hibbott, a secretary at a major Hollywood studio and a longtime Ojai resident, has died at the age of 83.

Hibbott, known for her years of service as a teacher’s aide at San Antonio School in Ojai, spent an earlier career on the sets of some of Hollywood’s best-known productions, friends said.

She worked as a secretary for screen legend Betty Hutton, who starred in “Annie Get Your Gun” and “The Perils of Pauline,” according to Renate Brown, a friend of Hibbott.

And she worked as a production assistant on such films as “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Babe Ruth Story,” Brown said.

During the filming of the latter movie in 1948, Babe Ruth gave her an autographed baseball, which she later brought to San Antonio School to show the children.

“Recently, I asked her what happened to that ball because it was such a treasure--a clean baseball signed by Babe Ruth,” recalled Ojai Mayor Joseph DeVito. “She said to me, ‘Oh, I gave it to a girl.’

“That’s the kind of woman (she) was,” said DeVito, who knew Hibbott from his tenure as principal of San Antonio School. “She was gentle and giving and she loved children.”

Hibbott, who was born in Chicago in 1911, did not have any children of her own. She was married to Earl (Bud) Hibbott, who directed transportation at Paramount Studios before the two moved to Ojai, Brown said. He preceded her in death.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai. The time of the service is pending.