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September 13th 2003
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Indianapolis Star - David Letterman Article

"Dave's Mom" wasn't surprised to learn her son, David Letterman, announced during the taping of his late-night talk show that he is about to become a first-time father at age 56.

"He called me on the phone to tell me," said Dorothy Mengering, of Carmel, Letterman's mother. The call came some weeks ago, she implied.

"I've known almost since the beginning. Until he made it public, I kept it in my heart," she said.

On his "Late Show" program broadcast Friday night, the Indianapolis-born Letterman announced he's about to become a father. The show was taped Thursday in New York.

"I have an announcement to make, and I'll be honest with you, I'm a little bit nervous," Letterman said. "I have some trepidations about this. I feel a little silly because it's one of those things where I thought never in my life this would happen.

"And here I am, 56, and by all right it shouldn't be happening. But, there's nothing we can do about it now. And I'm terribly excited about this. I'm scared silly about this. I'm going to be a father."

The studio audience cheered and applauded the announcement.

Letterman then joked: "By the time the child has trouble in life, you know, I'll be dead. I'll be long gone. By the time the kid's out stealing cars, you know, Dad will be dead a few years."

The CBS-TV host had quadruple bypass heart surgery four years ago. Letterman said his long-time girlfriend, Regina Lasko, 43, is about six months pregnant. He said he and Lasko are still discussing whether to get married.

"I realize we kind of got the cart before the horse here. But I'm just seeing how much I can get away with," he quipped.

According to a story in The New York Post, Letterman and Lasko first hooked up 10 years ago when she worked for him on the then-new "Late Show with David Letterman."
Letterman previously was married to his Ball State University sweetheart Michelle Cook.

Mengering, who gained a measure of fame by appearing on her son's show multiple times, said she has no choice for a baby's name. "That's up to them," she said.

Mengering has four grandchildren from her daughters Gretchen and Jan.
Indianapolis Star david letterman article
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"Dad-to-be Letterman told his mom before viewers"