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In journalism, hard hitting questions come with the territory. But one ����vlog legend preferred spreading joy in each interview, like she still does today. <Live from TV 8 Center in Des Moines, the Mary Brubaker show....> FOR 14 YEARS, MORNINGS IN CENTRAL IOWA DIDN'T START UNTIL MARY BRUBAKER SAID-- <Good morning and welcome. What a show we have for you today.> FROM HER ORANGE COUCH, IOWA'S BEST FRIEND INVITED VIEWERS TO JOIN HER FOR DAILY CHATS. <Every high school senior will come across that stage....> NEWSMAKERS AND MOVIE STARS STOPPED BY. <I clasped both of my hands together and I took a step forward...> SO DID MUSICIANS WHO ARE WORLD FAMOUS-- <Music has always been my life.> AND LOCALLY CONNECTED. <What a super group. We'll be back to talk with them 'Right after this.' .> .> MARY WAS ALWAYS APPROACHABLE AND JOYFUL. JUST LIKE MARY IS TODAY. <Couldn't have been better. Could not have been any better. It was wonderful.> FOR 30 YEARS, HER CAREER FOCUSED ON THE BIGGEST STARS AND NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS. <Well, you know, I was never shy with people.> EVERYONE IN CENTRAL IOWA WANTED TO SPEND TIME WITH MARY. <The people were absolutely terrific. And I got to know them just as though they were family. And it was their family. It really was.> <And it was just heaven.> BUT WHEN SHE RETIRED IN 1995, THE TOLD US A LIFE IN T-V WAS NEVER THE PLAN. <I got this job without any experience in television or journalism and maybe that was it, I didn't know what I was getting into.> SHE STARTED AT CHANNEL 8 AS MARY JANE CHIN'S EXERCISE GIRL. <Well, it was fun. It was fun. Yeah. I could dress up in my little... EVENTUALLY BECOMING THE STAR WHO MADE MEMORIES WITH PRESIDENTS WHO WANTED TO BE SEEN WITH MARY. <And you marinate them? You marinate them. With Heinz 57 sauce. Can't you just see him in the White House now. The chef will go out to lunch and Jimmy Carter will pop in to fix some catfish. And then I'll shake hands with the ambassador from Russia.> MARY CLIMBED INTO RACE CARS, HOPPED OFF HORSES, DANCED WITHOUT INHIBITIONS AND STOLE KISSES FROM HORSES. AND THEN RELIVED IT ALL ANYTIME IOWANS STOPPED HER IN THE PRODUCE SECTION AT DAHL'S. <We could talk about that stuff or they would ask me, well remember that day you had so-and-so on and they said such and such.> AND FOR 24 YEARS, LABOR DAYS WERE SPENT WITH MARY AND JERRY LEWIS, RAISING MONEY FOR KIDS WITH MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY. <Welcome back to the TV8 studios and our version of the silver celebration telethon.> <Oh my gosh. It was so wonderful to be able to be in that situation and be able to help them.> 30 YEARS AFTER SHE RETIRED-- <Laugh watching the laptop. SHE CAN'T BELIEVE THE OPPORTUNITIES SHE Oh, What fun. Oh what fun.> AND THE FRIENDS SHE MADE. <Absolutely. Honey. Absolutely. I was so gifted. I, I appreciated that job so much. I mean