Ask American Profile

Flea Market Finds, Yo-Yo Ma, Sally Struthers

I love the interaction between Ralph and Terry Kovel on HGTV’s Flea Market Finds. Can you tell me more about them and how they got started in the antique business?
—Sharon D., North Carolina

It all began when the couple were furnishing their first apartment on a budget and picked up some porcelain at various house sales and flea markets. Curious about the markings on the bottom of their pieces, they started doing some research and found most of the reference books geared toward people who were already experts. Finding those books of little use, Ralph Kovel began his own list of marks and their makers. Eventually, the list grew into a book, Kovel’s Dictionary of Marks—Pottery & Porcelain, published in 1953. Their hobby had bloomed into both a passion and a business, and soon the Kovels were writing a newspaper column advising other fledgling antique-seekers. In addition to their weekly newspaper column, they’ve written more than 75 books, have a regular column in House Beautiful magazine, and put out their own subscription-only newsletter. Before joining Flea Market Finds, they had shows offering advice and information about antiques on PBS and the Discovery Channel.

We have been reading about cellist Yo-Yo Ma and his Silk Road Project. Could you please enlighten us about this talented man, his personal life, and career?
—Marsha S., New Mexico

The 47-year-old Ma was born in Paris and began studying cello with his father at the tender age of 4. Ma played both the cello and the piano at his first public concert at the University of Paris when he was 5. His father was a violinist and a professor at Nanjing University in China before moving to Paris. His mother was a singer and former student of his father. When Ma was 6 years old, famed violinist Isaac Stern heard about his incredible talent and guided the child prodigy, helping the family when they moved to New York, where Ma studied under some of the most respected musical teachers. Later, Ma attended Harvard University. He has won 14 Grammy Awards. His Silk Road Project came out of his interest in how music, art, and culture traveled along the Silk Road, a vast network of trade routes that went from China into Turkey, Greece, and Italy. Through concerts, festivals, and educational programs, the Silk Road Project delves into the cultural history of the route, supports collaboration between artists in the East and West, and re-examines the roots of classical music. Ma and his wife have two children.

What has become of Sally Struthers from the old Archie Bunker show, All in the Family?
—Jim D., Illinois

The two-time Emmy winner is working in both television and movies and still serves as an ambassador for Save the Children, the organization that works to improve the lives of disenfranchised children around the world. On television, you can catch Sally Struthers in her recurring role as neighbor Babette on the WB’s Gilmore Girls. She also appeared on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Struthers worked on a few independent movies recently, including Constricted, due out later this year; Out of the Black; and A Month of Sundays. Born in Portland, Ore., the 54-year-old actress grew up thinking she’d be a doctor, like her father. But in high school biology class, she couldn’t bring herself to dissect a frog or a cow’s eye and realized that she’d never be able to cut a human body if she couldn’t do that. Sally then took the advice of her mother, who told her she was a natural entertainer and should look into acting when she went to college. She did, and that was that. She lives in Los Angeles with her daughter, Samantha, and house full of dogs, cats, and houseguests.

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