Nancy Besst still has her Magic Mirror. It's safe in the closet, but sometimes she brings it out for public functions, where thousands of Bay Area Boomers remember sitting at home and waiting for Miss Nancy to call out their name. More than any other local show on television, Bay Area residents seem bonded by "Romper Room," which ran from 1958 to 1998. Besst said she's often recognized, and though the cartoon character Do-Bee and her dog Romper come up a lot, people ask the most questions about the mirror. "That's the main thing they remember," said Nancy, who was the first of several local "Romper Room" hosts. "Some of them would hide behind the sofa, and some of them would walk up to the screen."

The mirror was the hosts' tie to kids at home, probably the biggest thing that separated "Romper Room" from national programs such as "Captain Kangaroo." Nancy would receive postcards or letters from Bay Area kids and read their names on the air ("I see Bob and Jane and Mary . . .") at the end of the program.

Nancy Besst was the Bay Area's original Miss Nancy, but her association with the program started on the East Coast. After growing up in Canton, Ohio, and graduating from Northwestern University in 1956, she applied for her first job -- "Romper Room." At the time, the show was in Baltimore but had ambitions to spread across the country.

She traveled across the United States for the program, helping new hosts everywhere from Chicago to Denver to Greenville, S.C. -- setting up the show's curriculum and filling in when hosts were sick.

"You name it, I was there," she said. "I had a great education in geography of our country." After two years, the producers of "Romper Room" offered her any city she wanted, and she chose San Francisco.

"Romper Room" premiered on KGO in 1958 and moved to KTVU a couple of years later. Nancy stayed for 13 years, and there were several more hosts before the show finally went off the air on April 5, 1998.

Those who followed included a second Miss Nancy, Ruby Peterson, who still lives in San Rafael. There was also Miss Maryanne, who died several years ago. More recent hosts included Miss Joan, Miss Margie, Miss Theresa and the last host, Miss Sharon.

Later episodes of the show were taped, but "Romper Room" was originally filmed live.

"We didn't even have cue cards," Nancy said. "If something happened, it happened. And something almost always happened." Nancy remembers one time when she accidentally soaked a child with Bactine (the bottle was turned upside down when she was demonstrating it during a live commercial) and another time when a nervous talking mynah bird surprised the whole crew.

"I said, 'Do you have one last word for the boys and girls?'" she recalls. "And they got a close-up on him as he said, 'One martini, please.'"

Nancy Besst was the distinguished recipient of the Governors' Award in 1998. This award is presented to an individual, company or organization for outstanding achievement in the arts, sciences or management of television.

A founding member of the original Northern California Chapter of NATAS, Nancy has served the membership in a variety of capacities throughout the years as Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Chair. She is currently a member of the prestigious Silver Circle.

An accomplished and published writer, Nancy has held leadership positions with the California Press Women, American Lung Association, Marin County Cerebral Palsy; as well as participated in numerous television and personal appearances.

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