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Personalities
RADIO TALENT
IRENE BEASLEY (1904-1980): A composer, singer, and radio personality, Beasley (also known as "the long, tall gal from Dixie ) is best known for "Grand Slam," her long-running musical quiz show which was broadcast from 1943 to 1953. A program she also wrote, produced and hosted.
PEGEEN FITZGERALD (c. 1911-1989): Long-standing, beloved New York broadcaster, who, with her husband Edward, pioneered the "husband-and-wife at home" genre of radio talk.
TV TALENT
HELEN FAITH KEANE (1901- ): The host of WABD-TV's "The Helen Faith Keane Show.For Your Information." It was the 1951 McCall's Mike winner in the category of programs for women.
FRAN NORRIS/AUNT FRAN (1911-1988): Ohio 's beloved "Aunt Fran," whose pioneering television show for children, "Aunt Fran and Her Playmates," was the first to fuse the new medium with the idea of educating the young.
INGA RUNDVOLD (1920-2004): DC's First Lady of Television, on the air for 17 years with her programs "Inga's Angle" and "Let's Go Places."
RADIO-TV TALENT
MARTHA BROOKS (1908-1999): Legendary New York broadcaster whose "Martha Brooks Show" aired over WGY-Radio Schenectady from 1937 to 1971. Originally an actress, Ms. Brooks (nee Irma Lemke) began with pioneering radio station WGY in 1931. Later, Ms. Brooks became a TV pioneer, on WGY's sister station, WRGB-TV by writing, producing and often starring in live, on-air productions.
MILDRED FUNNELL (1901-1977): Cleveland-based broadcaster of radio and TV, best known for her female-friendly programs like radio's "Mildred and Gloria" and local TV's "The Idea Shop."
WRITERS
GERTRUDE ENTENMANN (1908-1998): Advertising copywriter and TV producer who worked for such sponsors as Peoples Drug Stores, First Federal Savings and Loan, and Coca-Cola and with such people and programs as Inga Rundvold and the "Joy Boys." In the 1960s, she was chair for the region's chapter of AWRT and would later produce a religious-based talk show for WRC-TV.
MONA KENT (1909-1990): Script writer extraordinaire, the long-time scribe of the radio serial "Portia Faces Life" as well as the creator and writer for other radio soaps. Ms. Kent also contributed scripts to early TV's "Captain Video" program.
PRODUCERS
LEE LAWRENCE (1923- 2003): Long-time production aide, researcher and producer for such NBC fare as "Wide Wide World" and "The Today Show," both with Dave Garroway.
FRAN HARRIS-TUCHMAN (1915- ): Pioneering member of the all-female WATTS group who kept what is now WLS-TV on the air throughout the second world war. Later went on to be the first woman to head a television division for a major advertising agency and to found her own highly successful ad agency, Harris-Tuchman Productions.
ACTRESSES
BETTY GARDE (1905-1989): Actress best known for being the original Aunt Eller in Broadway's " Oklahoma " but whose career also include such radio programs as "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch" and "The Aldrich Family" and work with Orson Welles and Eddie Cantor, among others. Ms. Garde also appeared on early TV in such programs as "The Honeymooners," "Decoy," and "The Twilight Zone."
JULIE STEVENS (1916-1984): Ms. Stevens, nee Harriet Foote, was an actress best known for her long-running, starring role on radio's "The Romance of Helen Trent" for over 15 years, but whose career also included the role of a female reporter on TV's "Big Town" from 1951-52.
EXECUTIVES
EDYTHE MESERAND (1908-1997 ): Beginning her broadcasting career in 1926 at NBC, Ms. Meserand had her greatest influence at WOR where she produced the first true radio documentary and began the station's long-running Children's Christmas Fund Drive. She was a founding member of and the first president of American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT).
BETTY RAMEY (c. 1924- ): Co-founder, with her husband Al Spiro, of Rockland , New York 's pioneering, indomitable radio station WRKL and the one-time host of its news-making discussion program "Hotline."
HELEN SIOUSSAT (1902-1995): Helen Sioussat was Director of the Talks and Public Affairs Department at CBS from 1937 to 1958 where she oversaw as many as 300 broadcasts a year addressing such topics as government, labor, education, religion, civil rights and international affairs. She would go on to create the television program, "Table Talk," TV's first roundtable discussion show.
