of all ages as generations grew up with Betty Lou. Varnum made only one appearance as an actress. She played Mrs. Vernam on an episode of The Rifleman that aired October 16, 1961; it was Season 4 Episode 3. Varnum worked on other projects at WOI-TV and became the motive force behind many significant public affairs and entertainment shows. Among the first in her field, she hosted a local talk show, Dimension 5, which ran on Tuesday evenings starting at 10:30 PM and ending when all of the viewers' questions were answered and the panel members had expressed their views — often causing the show to run into the early hours of the morning. Dimension 5 addressed the controversial topics of the day with shows featuring Medal of Honor-winners, Nobel Prize-winners, the American Indian Movement, women's rights, gay and lesbian rights, and many others. Varnum also produced and hosted the award-winning Status 6, which focused on the struggles of the handicapped in Iowa, for which she received the McCall's Golden Mike Award for Women in Radio and Television in 1965. In the mid-1970s, she conceived and hosted Stringers Newscast, a show that featured film shorts and animations produced by the viewing public. Varnum also hosted the yearly Iowa State Fair and VEISHEA parades. Varnum retired in 1994 when WOI-TV was purchased by a commercial company. During her 40-year career, Varnum received endless recognition and awards for her pioneering work in the television industry and as a woman in the early days of local broadcasting. Personal life and death In 1959, McVay married James (Red) Varnum, also an employee at WOI-TV. Red worked as a backstage designer, producer, director and writer and appeared in a number of shows including The Red Dash and Gravesend Manor. It was rumored that Red was the voice of one of the puppets in The Magic Window, but neither Betty Lou nor Red ever confirmed this. Betty Lou Varnum died in August 2021. See also The Magic Window, her first, longest-running and most popular show WOI-TV References External links “Tales Of The Riverbank” at Nostalgia Central American television personalities American women television personalities 1931 births 2021 deaths University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni People from Platteville, Wisconsin