U.S. Navy Yeoman Chief Petty Officer Holly Allen (right) was the first on line to get her book signed by Susan Lucci. Susan Lucci was greeted warmly by her hometown as more than 75 people waited in the parlor of The Garden City Historical Museum to meet the famous actress at a special book signing hosted by The Garden City Historical Society on May 17.

“I do have such a feeling for this town, not just long-term but as a lifetime resident of Garden City,” Lucci said. “I grew up here and my husband and I raised our children here. I have a great feeling for this community.”

Lucci, who has been named by The Garden City Historical Society as its first Honorary Trustee, said she felt especially honored to be standing that evening in the Apostle House, which was built in 1872. The Episcopal Diocese donated the house to the Society in 1975. In July 1988, the house was moved from 89 Fifth Street to its current location on Eleventh Street on a site provided by the Village. Lucci said she had to work on the day they relocated the house, but her husband Helmut Huber and daughter Liza took pictures and put them in an album.

Susan Lucci spoke to the audience before signing her book “All My Life.” She added that one of the reasons why Garden City is so special to her is because in many families, including her own, it is home to several generations. She was raised in the Village, and raised her own family, and is now watching her daughter and son-in-law raise their three children, ages 5, 3 1/2 and 1, in Garden City.

“They all melt my heart, and they are all part of this community too,” Lucci said. “For me, it couldn’t be better.”

Her memoir, “All My Life” was published in 2011 by HarperCollins with Laura Morton. She said it was her son Andreas who suggested that she write a book. She drew a parallel between the multiple generations who enjoyed watching her soap opera “All My Children” and the multiple generations who live in Garden City.

“That touched us so much at ‘All My Children,’ to know that multiple generations were watching, much like the multiple generations love this town,” she said. “It just felt right.”

First on line to get her book signed was U.S. Navy Yeoman Chief Petty Officer Holly Allen, who is originally from Indiana but is currently stationed in Garden City. Allen said she became a fan of “All My Children” while serving overseas in Afghanistan and watching videotapes of the soap opera her roommate’s mother would send to her unit. Lucci posed for a photo and spent several minutes talking with Allen. The Society received a portion of each book sale at the event.