Celebrating an early WDEF pioneer, Mildred Gaither

TULSA, Oklahoma (WDEF) – Another pioneer of television in Chattanooga has passed.

Mildred McCune (formerly Gaither) died this morning in Tulsa at the age of 95.

These days, you generally only see live-local news, talk and sports shows on television.

But when TV was young in the 1950’s, we got talk shows, music/dance shows, game shows, kids shows and even wrestling.

Mildred was a co-host of the children’s show Mr. Chickaroonie and Friends at WDEF during the 1950’s and 60’s (Mr. Chickaroonie was a stuffed owl, named for a favorite expression of Luther’s).

Warren Hearing (Mr. Moon) was the MC and “Auntie Mil” wrangled the kids.

It was a live show in the studio, airing in the afternoon after school, that brought on children from local schools and organizations.

The show became so popular that it would draw thousands for Mr. Chickaroonie shows at Lake Winnie and other local attractions.

Mildred would bring on more than two thousand children on the show.

Mildred would eventually leave Chattanooga and continue another kids show in Arkansas.

But she would return to the area, and joined us for both our 30th and 50th anniversary shows at WDEF.

Here is David Carroll’s interview with her in 1984.

We’ve got one more bonus story from the Chickaroonie days.

Longtime WDEF employee & prankster Neil Miller told us this story about how Mildred became an unwitting victim of one of their tricks.