Obituaries
Betty White Dies, Portland Rose Festival Commentator Was 99
Most people know White from shows like Mary Tyler Moore and The Golden Girls. In Portland she was associated with The Grand Floral Parade.
PORTLAND, OR — Sure, Betty White was on The Golden Girls. And The Mary Tyler Moore Show. And was in movies like the Proposal. And had a career dating back to when she was eight.
In Portland, she is being remembered for her six stints doing color commentary on television for The Grand Floral Parade.
Betty White died New Year's Eve. she was 99-years-old.
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White first came to Portland In 1969, teaming with KGW's Richard Ross to do color commentary for the parade's broadcast.
She returned in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1976.
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Whtie couldn't make it back to Portland for the parades in 1974 and 1975 because it conflicted with taping The Mary Tyler Show.
Several times, she co-hosted the parade with her husband, Allen Ludden, the longtime host of Password, which is where they met.
In 1973, White was honored by Royal Rosarians, the volunteer groups whose members promote Portland and the annual Rose Festival.
They knighted her as a honorary Rosarian.
"We’re thinking of Betty and thanking her for the rosy memories," the organization said in a statement on Friday.
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