Louise Bland in 2005
John Wayne and Louise Bland in 1960Dallas, TX -
Former KTUL anchor Louise Bland died Thursday in Dallas.
Bland hosted the KTUL show Spotlight in the early 1960s.
Guests included celebrities such as John Wayne, Jane Russell, Lawrence Welk, Johnny Weissmuller of Tarzan fame, Imogene Coca, and Tulsa native Anita Bryant.
According to Bland's daughter, Donna Bando, Bland covered John F. Kennedy's inauguration and the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Bando said her mother produced and directed her own cooking show. Recently, Bland published her book The Art of Charm.
After leaving Tulsa, she opened her own award-winning advertising agency in Oklahoma City.
After retirement, Bland moved to Dallas to be with her family.
Bando said her mother was born in Rogers, Arkansas, and attended the University of Tulsa's Business School.
"She was one of the earliest in television, a trailblazer, ahead of her time," Bando said of her mother.
Bando said Bland suffered a series of massive strokes but passed very quietly.
Private services will be held at a later time in Tulsa for family only.
Bland was 88 years old.
