The death of Betty White on Dec. 31 at age 99 left fans bereft but marveling at her impeccable timing. Dying 17 days shy of her 100th birthday was the ultimate way to leave her audience wanting more.
On Monday, the day White would have reached the century mark, fans can show their appreciation for the actress at a film tribute in area theaters or by donating to an organization that promotes animal welfare, one of her favorite causes.
Details for both commemorations are below, along with a few remembrances of the legendary actress. The five-time Emmy winner is known to have visited Chattanooga only once - as the celebrity guest for Life: An Expo for Boomers & Seniors, presented by the Times Free Press in August 2010.
Being in her orbit left many locals star-struck.
In a separate story, reporter Barry Courter shares his memories of twice interviewing the actress - first in advance of her visit and again before she greeted the expo audience at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Here are a few more memories from folks who were there that day, plus a couple more times her career intersected with the Scenic City.
- Stefanie Wittler-Beavers remembers getting to sing to her. The director of major gifts and planned giving for Children's Hospital at Erlanger says she had just finished her year as Miss Tennessee 2009 and was working in the marketing department at the Times Free Press.
"For whatever reason, they asked me to do the [stage] interview. It probably should've been [WRCB news anchors] Cindy Sexton or David Carroll," she says, but she's grateful she got the opportunity.
"It was the honor of a lifetime," she says. "I grew up watching her with my mom on 'The Golden Girls.'"
In their few minutes together, White came across as "kind and gracious, down-to-earth, quick-witted," Wittler-Beavers says.
Her fondest memory of that day was leading the audience in the theme song from "The Golden Girls" as White left the stage.
"I think what really moved her was at the end of the interview we had the chance to sing 'Thank You for Being a Friend.' I'm sure that's a song she heard on a daily basis, but I think [hearing it sung by so many] really meant a lot to her."
A follow-up story, headlined "White wows 'em at Expo," noted there was a chorus of more than 3,000 voices singing in tribute.
- Lynda Henry and Sarah Iwasa remember arranging for a Chattanooga look-alike to meet the celebrity. Both were employees of Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union, an event sponsor. Before the expo, TVFCU put out a call for photos in a Betty White look-alike contest. The winner was to receive two VIP passes and $100.
"We were wanting to do something fun and feel-good for the community," says Iwasa, who was in charge of community and social media for TVFCU and is now mortgage marketing manager.
"She's a feel-good icon," she says of White. "She was very nice and very funny, very young at heart."
Henry, who retired in 2018, says she jumped at the chance to be part of the group planning TVFCU's participation.
"I had always been a big, big fan of Betty White," she says. "I jumped on that bandwagon."
She, too, found the star to be "not only funny, but kindhearted, one of those people you just fall in love with the minute you meet them."
Henry says the winner of the contest, Sarah Ruth Hilliard of Chattanooga, "was tickled to death" to be chosen. "She was a big, big fan of Betty White too. If memory serves, she was the same age as Betty."
Hilliard died in August 2012 at age 90. According to her obituary, she "took pride in winning the local Betty White look-alike contest." It also noted personality traits - "zest for life, kindness and keen sense of humor" - that suggest there was more than a physical resemblance to the star.
- Ricky Crook remembers a mischievous pinch. At the time, Crook owned The Meeting Company, which supplied setup and equipment for special events, so he was one of the movers and shakers behind the scenes at the expo. He says he was usually too busy to ask for photos and autographs from the various stars he encountered at such events, but he did want to meet White.
He remembers making small talk with the actress, about watching her on "Password" when he was a kid and about their shared love of dogs, as she autographed a Life expo photo for him. Then she stepped over for a live photo.
As the photographer pressed the shutter button, White tweaked his backside, Crook says. His surprised reaction tells the story.
"I don't normally have that expression in pictures," he says, laughing.
Crook thinks she was simply going for a laugh.
"I said, 'Did you just pinch me?' She just smiled and went on. I thought, 'OK.'
"That's something I'll always remember her for," he says.
- Leslie Jordan remembers when she walloped him with a skillet. The actor and comedian, a Chattanooga native, recounted the story on CNN's New Year's Eve live coverage, just hours after White's death was announced.
The clobbering was in a "Boston Legal" scene, and the skillet was a prop, but Jordan said White delivered a mighty blow.
In the episode, White's character strikes Jordan's character in the head with the skillet, killing him. Before they filmed the scene, Jordan said White was anxious about making it look realistic for the cameras without causing him harm. He assured her it was a "trick skillet," not actually cast iron.
"I took it over and showed her that it was made of rubber. But it was HARD rubber," he recalled. "She walloped me. If you ever see the episode, I fly through the air. They had to take me to the chiropractor. She knocked the bejesus out of me. Every time I'd see her after that, she'd say, 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!'"
- Steve Freer remembers when a CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, starring White, was partially filmed in Chattanooga. Freer is the membership and marketing coordinator for the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, which was used in several scenes for the 2011 film "The Lost Valentine," about a war widow who annually visits the last place she saw her husband before he reported for duty in World War II.
White's scenes were shot in Atlanta, but the actress playing her character as a young newlywed, Meghann Fahy, made the trip north for filming at the Tennessee Valley Railroad in the late summer of 2010.
"An operating train was needed, so the company contracted with TVRM to provide a steam locomotive and period passenger coaches," says Freer. "A small crew traveled to Chattanooga and did a little work to 'dress' our equipment, such as lettering the tender of steam locomotive No. 610 for the 'Southern Pacific Railroad,' and blanked over the Tennessee Valley lettering on our coaches.
"On the day of filming - a Sunday morning, I think - a large number of extras swarmed the platform of East Chattanooga Depot for the departure scene. A green/blue screen was used to block the background, and an alternate view was inserted in its place.
"As the train pulled out of the station, the young lady (Fahy) waved to the leading man (played by Billy Magnussen as the newlywed), who was standing on the back platform of Business Car No. 98. I was surprised to see buildings CGI'ed around the tracks when I viewed the final product on television."
An encore presentation of the film will air at 8 p.m. Monday on Hallmark Channel and is available on various streaming platforms.
- You can remember the good times at a star-studded tribute being shown at local theaters Monday. "Betty White: A Celebration" was originally titled "Betty White: 100 Years Young - A Birthday Celebration." White taped her portion, her last on-camera appearance, 10 days before she died.
"We will go forward with our plans to show the film on Jan. 17 in hopes our film will provide a way for all who loved her to celebrate her life - and experience what made her such a national treasure," producers Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein said in a statement.
According to Variety.com, White gave Boettcher and Trinklein exclusive access to her life behind the scenes, her relationship with her office staff and her efforts as an animal advocate. The producers said they've included White's funniest moments from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "The Golden Girls," "Hot in Cleveland," "The Proposal" and "Saturday Night Live," plus a lost episode from her first sitcom.
Among the celebrities making appearances are Ryan Reynolds, Tina Fey, Robert Redford, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Leno, Carol Burnett, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel, Valerie Bertinelli, James Corden, Wendy Malick and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Due to public demand, Fathom Events, the distributor, has expanded showings to more than 1,500 cinemas nationwide, including at least seven locations in Chattanooga, Cleveland and Dalton. Find a link to tickets at FathomEvents.com.
- You can remember her animal advocacy with a donation. Social media is fueling a national movement to help animal shelters on White's birthday Monday. The #BettyWhiteChallenge asks fans to choose a humane society, rescue or animal shelter in her memory and donate $5 in her name.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.