During many of the years that she edited this magazine, Betty Lou Amster wrote a monthly column signed "Bla." But blah could not have been further from the truth about Betty Lou. She was a Tennessee Williams character. Though not a natural beauty, she nevertheless made a significant physical impact. She wore hats long after doing so was fashionable, not only on the street, but at her desk, frequently stopping while out of the office to buy another. She smoked cigarettes - sometimes cigarillos - through a long silver cigarette holder. Her big corner office was always dark; she preferred to keep the lights off except for one dim lamp, and presided over editorial meetings in that office at an antique steamboat captain's table. Smoke swirled. So did the conversation.
From the moment they first appeared Tiffany lamps have been style icons with a wide spread appeal throughout the world. You can find Tiffany shades in the grandest stately mansions but also in more modest modern homes. However the original Tiffany lamps are now difficult to find and very expensive, so modern Tiffany-style lamps have started to be produced which are more affordable and readily available, allowing you to create a period, bohemian look without breaking the bank.Tiffany style floor lamps come in different types. There are pedestal lamps that would add a romantic flare to your bedroom. These beautifully crafted stained glass panel lamps are wonderful and come in Butterfly and Victorian designs. They are square or round in shape. Torchiere tiffany style lamps are floor lamps that are shaped in torch styles. Floor lamps would light up any dark corner in your house. Whatever your choice, make it for you. These lamps are all beautifully crafted with the highest quality of materials. You will not be sorry when you choose to decorate with one of these wonderful lamps.Tiffany style table lamps could brighten up any room in your house. They have beautifully crafted stained glass shades and come in many different designs. These could go with any d�cor of your liking.Some reproductions are of such high quality that many have fooled dealers and collectors. In the 21st Century the admiration and desire for Tiffany has not diminished. Lighting designers and manufacturers continue to produce designs in homage to Louis Tiffany. A wide range of colours and styles are now available and manufactured to modern lamps and lighting standards. There is a particular fashion for Amber Tiffany Table Lamps, and no home should be without one. Tiffany-style �bejewelled� lightshades create a soft ambience that�s perfect for cosy nights by the fire or relaxing dinner parties.Betty Lou left the C-J to work in advertising, and from advertising joined Louisville, then published by the Chamber of Commerce. She was the magazine's second editor, a classic of the genre, imperiously rejecting stories or designs from the art department with little more than a wave of her hand. She had good taste in writing and graphics, knew what she wanted, and usually got it. She also knew talent and how to woo it - freelancers like historian George Yater and former Courier writer Bill Woolsey (whom she ingeniously commissioned to write a monthly cooking column), along with photographers Bill Strode (who for most of her years as editor shot the covers) and John Nation (the backbone of the magazine for the last 30-plus years). It's also worth noting that since she retired, two of her proteges have served as editor, most recently Bruce Allar, and that the current senior editor, Jack Welch, began his work at the magazine during her reign. Not a bad recruiting record.As if all of that weren't enough, one of her eyes didn't track (there were rumors that it was glass), and this otherwise fearless woman had a magnificent fear of thunderstorms. She knew when one was coming long before it arrived and, fast as a flash of lightning, was on her way home - in a taxi; Betty Lou never drove. She never had a license.
Betty Lou died at 86 on April 24 of this year. This magazine is her legacy.
Author: Oppel, Jim
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