Submitted by Nan Tepper

April 04, 2005

 

Nan Tepper was born October 8, 1930, in the Midwest, lived in a number of

cities all over the East till she moved with her family to Los Angeles in 1946

just after WWII.  While she was majoring in Theatre Arts at UCLA she

married Paul Tepper, with whom she had two sons, Kerry and Kirby.

Paul and Nan were together for 55 years until he died February 9, 2005.

 

After graduation from UCLA Nan came to CBS on Sunset at Gower to apply

for a job.  She was hired by then head of the Script Dept who said "you're

a terrible typist, but I've got a hunch you'll work out."  She typed scripts on

mimeo stencils for AMOS AND ANDY, MY FRIEND IRMA, and the GENE

AUTRY SHOW, among others, till she burned out after three months and

moved on to become a receptionist at Columbia Square and later at 1313 Vine

where KNXT shared space with KHJ-TV and where she worked as a secretary in the

Production and Program Departments. 

 

After an eight-year hiatus during which her sons came along, Nan returned

to KNXT, first as secretary to Leon Drew, and later as Researcher in the

Newsroom, where she remained for 15 years.  She eventually produced

NEWSMAKERS with Georges Fischer, for which she won an Emmy, and

was Political Producer for a number of years, working with Bill Stout, Ruth

Ashton Taylor, Linda Douglas, Connie Chung, Bill Eames and a great many

others you all knew, who made those years the golden ones in local news.

They were turbulent years in LA, with heavy issues such as busing for

school desegregation, Vietnam War demonstrations, the Civil Rights

Movement and the Women's Movement changing the face of News coverage and

of the city and the country.

 

In 1982 Nan moved out of News to the management side of the station, becoming

Director of Station Services under Jamie Bennett, and in 1985 she left the

Station to become VP of Human Resources at TV City, where she remained

until her retirement in 1998.

 

Since her retirement Nan's been acting in Equity Waiver theaters around LA,

a pursuit she dreamed about and sublimated for 50 years or so.  She's enjoying

her sons, her daughter-in-law and 3 grandsons, who make her laugh, and she's

hoping she wont be remembered as the Grandma Moses of LA theater, but

as a good actress.

 

Nan's email address: Nanbt30@aol.com