This information was gained by many sources, among them: Chris Vandergriff, Pat Wickham, Lorna Erickson, Daytime Digest and The Soap Opera Evolution

One Life To Live
Storyline Histories
1968
Victor Lord, a widower, was the owner of the local newspaper, the Banner and the proud father of two daughters, Victoria and Meredith. However, he had always wanted a son to carry on the Lord family name and the inheritance that went along with it. Because he had no son, he ultimately chose Victoria (Viki) to continue his legacy.

Nurturing and training her for many years, the impressionable young girl, eager to please her father, eventually became the strong young business executive he'd always hoped for. However, despite her strength at the conference table, Viki had acquired a false sense of stability in other areas. As she tried to manage a personal and professional balance in her life, she found that she was woefully ill-equipped for the latter.

Sparks flew when Viki went to work at the BANNER and met the tough-as-nails-reporter Joe Riley. Against her father's stern wishes, Viki fell in love with Joe, and the pressure induced her split personality, Niki Smith, to emerge. (Trying to be the ideal daughter took its toll on young Viki. To escape from her father, she developed an alter-ego, the brash and flirtatious Niki.) Hanging out at seedy waterfront bars, Niki met and became involved with garage mechanic Vince Wolek, who was Joe's best friend!

Carla Gray (Ellen Holly), a light-skinned black woman, tried to pass as white while romancing both Dr. Jim Craig and Dr. Price Trainor.

Meredith had always loved Vince's brother Larry Wolek, a doctor. But Victor opposed the match, favoring first Dr. Ted Hale, a physician at Llanview Hospital. In the end, however, Meredith told Ted that she could not remain engaged to him. The next day, after a fight with Dr. Larry Wolek, Ted tripped and fell to his death down a flight of stairs. Though Larry was initially charged with his murder, it was later proven to have been an accident.

1969
Larry Wolek was having trouble in love. Working at the hospital, Karen Martin, a young nurse, took an unhealthy interest in Dr. Larry. They became briefly involved and Karen later shocked him by claiming to be pregnant with his child! Later, Karen saved Larry Wolek after he was severely burned in a fire. His face was wrapped in bandages, and when they were removed, he looked completely different! (and was played by Michael Storm) Though Larry's heart belonged to Meredith Lord, he eventually married Karen when she threatened to have an abortion. When she later miscarried the baby, Larry was free to be with Merri, his true love.

But Meredith was tied up in a relationship of her own at the time. Believing herself to be dying of a rare blood disease and upset that Larry had hidden the fact from her, Merri turned to young Tom Edwards. Tom had come to town claiming to have amnesia but was taken in by Victor, offered a job at the BANNER and named by young Merri after a cat of hers. Preying upon Victor's need to find his long-lost son, Tom pretended to be the Lord heir but when he fell in love with Merri, things became complicated. Tom proposed to Meredith, but she could not accept and instead turned at last to her true love, Larry.

Viki's bouts with Niki Smith prompted her to seek psychiatric help from Dr. Marcus Polk, who helped her to resolve her schizophrenic dilemma. Under Dr. Polk's supervision, Viki was able to recall the moment when her alter ego first emerged: after having witnessed her mother tumble down a flight of stairs following an argument with her father. The mystery solved, Niki seemed to vanish and Viki then married Joe, living happily with him until Joe was "killed" tragically when his car careened off a cliff.

Meredith Lord was also shaping her future. She had always been much more fragile than her sister. Their mother, Eugenia Randolph Lord, had died giving birth to her, after a serious fall down a flight of stairs. As a result, she suffered from a chronic blood disorder as a small child; but she seemed to have a good sense of who she was through it all and, like her sister, tended to put her feelings above material gain. It came as no surprise when she fell in love with Vince brother Larry, a Polish-American doctor. Larry Wolek was hardly ideal in Victor Lord's eyes. The Woleks lived in the very poorest section of town. But after he saw the depth of their feelings, he relented and invited Meredith and Larry to live in his mansion, Llanfair. Larry first refused, but later agreed to live in a garage apartment on the estate.

Vinnie got a job with a trucking company and met Millie Parks, who worked there. Unbeknownst to Vinnie, Millie was helping the mob by getting Vinnie to transport drugs across state lines without his knowing it. But soon Millie started to fall in love with Vinnie and found it impossible to hurt him. When Vinnie discovered the truth, he found he still loved her and asked her to marry him. Millie could not go through with the wedding and left town.

A mysterious young out-of-work actress named Carla Benari arrived in Llanview suffering with anxiety attacks. Eventually overcoming her problems, she found a job working as a secretary for the hospital's chief-of-staff, Dr. Jim Craig. Jim eventually asked Carla to marry him and she accepted, however she was simultaneously attracted to Price Trainor, a black intern. Viewers were stunned when Carla came face-to-face with Sadie Gray, a black woman working in the housekeeping unit of the hospital. Sadie referred to Carla as "Clara" and claimed she was her daughter!

1970
Joe was promoted to editor-in-chief of the BANNER and became involved with a story that involved underground crime. He went to California to investigate further, but tragedy struck when his car careened over a cliff. Viki was devastated over the death of Joe and sought comfort in another colleage at the BANNER, Steven Burke, who took over the editorship of the newspaper.

Carla Benari was revealed to be in actuality Clara Gray, daughter of Sadie. Carla had been passing herself off as white for years, hoping to make it big as an actress, after having run away from home as a youth. Sadie eventually shamed her daughter into the realization that she couldn't be anyone other than who she was, and taught her to be proud of her heritage. Carla broke off her engagement with Jim and fell into a relationship with Price.

Cathy Craig the troubled teenage daughter of Llanview Hospital's beloved chief of staff, Jim Craig, horrified her family when she became hooked on drugs. To overcome her addiction, Jim had Cathy admitted to Odyssey House, a rehabilitation center in New York City. Scenes featuring real-life recovering drug users were incorporated into Cathy's chillingly authentic therapy sessions. Vince and Larry's sister Anna became a respected part of Llanview society when she married Jim and helped him to raise the troublesome Cathy.

Meredith and Larry Wolek were enjoying the relative simplicity of their married life for a time, but after awhile, they decided to start a family. Meredith's doctor strongly advised against it, considering her physical condition. Meredith and Larry, however, had other plans...

1971
Victor encouraged Steve Burke to pursue Viki - he was exactly the type of man he'd envisioned his daughter marrying. They did indeed marry, but the excitement that was in Viki's marriage to Joe was not there. Meanwhile, at the BANNER, a jealous secretary, Marcy Wade, became obsessed with Steve, who was her boss. However, she could not win his affection because Steve was still deeply in love with Viki. So Marcy concocted a vicious scheme to drive them apart and drive Viki over the edge by donning a red wig and impersonating Niki Smith. When "Niki" began to appear, Viki nearly went insane. Dressed as Niki, Marcy pulled a gun on Steve, and in a struggle, it went off -- killing Marcy! Steve was indicted for murder and went on trial, defended by lawyer Dave Siegel.

Meredith Wolek became pregnant. She later delivered twins, but only one, Danny, survived. Depressed over the death of one of her babies, she became mentally unstable, forcing Larry to call upon Dr. Joyce Brothers to consult with his ailing wife.

Carla and Price's romance eventually failed because his mother was in opposition to the match. Eventually Price accepted a job overseas and left town.

1972
Meredith recovered from her depression and she and Larry settled down to live a happy life with new son Danny.

A skid row bum found Marcy Wades's purse in the street -- which was just the evidence needed to prove Steve Burke innocent of Marcy's murder. The bum turned out to be Viki's "late" husband, Joe Riley! Suffering from amnesia and a potentially deadly aneurysm, Joe passed out in a diner, where he was befriended by kindly waitress Wanda Webb. Wanda fell in love with Joe, but the feeling was not mutual because Joe still loved Viki. Hiding her pain, Wanda was instrumental in convincing Joe to see Viki. After Joe had a life-saving operation, Viki was faced with an agonizing decision - which husband should she choose?

Wanda, initially upset over Joe's decision, later fell in love with Vince Wolek. They were married months later and lived happily together until his death many years later.

Julie Siegel, Cathy's best friend, and the daugther of Eileen Riley Siegel and Dave Siegel, knew what she wanted in a man. That man was Jack Lawson. She wanted the same kind of successful marraige her parents had and if it meant living with Jack to do it, she would. Her parents were shocked when Julie moved out to be with Jack, but they reluctantly stood by her decision. But Jack was not the marrying type and when Julie finally realized he never intended to marry her, she nearly had a nervous breakdown. On the rebound, she met Dr. Mark Toland (Tommy Lee Jones) and married him. But Julie had emotional scars left by Jack which resulted in sexual problems. Mark tried to be patient, but his patience began to wear thin.

Carla met politician Bert Skelly, who fell instantly in love with her. Though she didn't love Bert, she now knew what it was like to be totally loved by a man.

Lawyer Dave Siegel suddenly had a heart attack as he was walking up the steps to his house after work. His sudden death left his wife Eileen depressed and alone to raise their children Julie and Timmy.

1973
Still married to Steve, Viki began working with Joe once again at the BANNER. On assignment, one night, they made love again and it appeared the couple was about to reunite. But Viki told Joe that she couldn't break her committment to Steve and fled in tears. An awful accident followed that left Viki comatose for months.

Tragedy struck Larry and Meredith. Home from the hospital with her baby, Meredith and Vince were trapped by burglars at Llanfair. When Vince tried to capture the two men, Merri slipped and hit her head. It caused cranial hemorrhaging and she died in the hospital, leaving Larry extremely depressed. Vince blamed himself for the death, while Larry decided to move in with his sister Anna and her husband Jim. Meredith's death also prompted changes for Viki who, after emerging from her coma, asked Steve for a divorce.

Bert proposed to Carla; she considered it, but then met police officer Ed Hall (Al Freeman, Jr.). Ed looked at Carla, told her she was much too stuffy and kissed her. They fell in love and married shortly thereafter.

Dr. Dorian Cramer (Nancy Pinkerton) and her neurotic sister Melinda (Patricia Pearcy) arrived in Llanview. Melinda, once a piano prodigy, saw her budding career end when a fall from a horse paralyzed her arm. The Cramer sisters had also lost their parents in a plane crash. Devoted to her sister's care and her job at Llanview Hospital, Dorian spurned romance -- until she entered into an affair with fellow doctor, Mark Toland. Dr. Toland warmed up to his fellow doctor when his own wife, Julie Siegel, became sexually frigid.

Julie's mother Eileen was having a difficult time dealing with her beloved Dave's death. Out of depression and loneliness she turned to Dorian, who prescribed her medication to ease her sorrow ... when the prescription ran out, however, Eileen turned to the street to find more drugs to feed her dangerous habit. She turned to a young street kid by the name of Joshua West (Laurence Fishburne) to supply her with drugs.

1974
Larry fell in love with Rachel Wilson, one of his patients who was dying a painful death from Hodgkin's disease. Rachel finally decided that she wanted to end her own life and she wanted Larry to be the administering physician.

Neurotic Melinda, who had developed an intense attraction to Mark, schemed to kill Mark and Dorian when she learned of their affair. But Melinda was overcome by Mark before she could stab him and went into a catatonic state. She was soonafter institutionalized. In trying to cover up their affair, Dorian and Mark inadvertantly gave Rachel Wilson too much medication and she died.

While Viki was still married to Steve, Joe began a brief affair with Cathy Craig. He didn't think much of it, but when he announced joyfully that he was going to remarry Viki Burke, Cathy came out with the stunning revelation that she was pregnant. Feeling obligated, Joe offered to marry Cathy, who stoically refused, claiming she loved him too much to trap him into a loveless marriage. Viki divorced Steve Burke, and finally free to marry the man of her dreams, became Mrs. Joe Riley for the second time.

Unfortunately, Cathy had changed her mind and wanted Joe back. After his remarriage to Viki, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Megan Craig Riley. She was initially a healthy baby, but after a short time, she began to grow frail. The doctors later determined that she had a congenital heart defect and did not have long to live...

Victor Lord began his own mission of self-discovery - it seemed that he had fathered an illegitimate son years before. Upon coming across this new information, he began to scour the country to find his long-lost son.

After Carla's wedding to Ed, the woman who had once tried to pass for white soon became proud about being black and the couple adopted young ghetto youth, Joshua West. Together, Ed, Carla and Joshua became a happy family.

1975
She was a single, independent, decidedly blue-collar waitress. He was a tough talking former trucker-turned-policeman. After a long, poignant and often hilarious courtship, Vinnie Wolek married his sweetheart, Wanda Webb.

The courts unjustly convicted Larry for patient Rachel Wilson's mercy-killing murder after nurse Susan Barry told them of Rachel's wish for Larry to end her life. But Larry was set free when Dorian finally confessed that she was partially responsible. Dorian had given Rachel an injection, but forgot to record it on her chart. Later that night, Mark Toland unknowingly administered a second dose, killing the patient. Dorian lost her medical license for her negligence and Mark fled town in disgrace. Dorian chose to blame Viki Riley, who sat on the hospital board, for the decision.

Victor befriended newly arrived Tony Harris unaware that Tony was actually his vengeful illegitimate son. But, it turned out, at least two people knew about his existence before Victor did. They were Mark and Dorian. While Mark was hiding out in San Francisco following Rachel's death, he found out that Victor had been searching for his son. Quite by accident, Mark met a woman named Dorothy Randolph, who claimed to be the mother of Victor's son, Tony. Mark was murdered by Susan Barry before he could sell the information to Victor, however.

Dorian knew about Tony's parentage via Mark, and he tried to blackmail her with the information before his death. But Dorian was not anxious to acknowledge Tony's existence, for reasons of her own. After suffering a heart attack in the search for his missing son, Victor was hospitalized. Dorian, conspiring with Dr. Matt McAllister, plotted to make Victor dependent on her for his health ... and ultimately, to marry her. Eventually, Dorian succeeded in becoming Victor's private nurse and indeed, his wife. But when Tony eventually came to town of his own accord, the situation got even more complicated.

Around that time, Viki and Joe hired Pat Kendall (Jacqueline Courtney) to work as an editor at the BANNER. Pat arrived in Llanview with her young son, Brian, who believed that Paul Kendall, a former radical believed to be dead, was his father. But Pat was keeping a secret -- years earlier, she had an affair with Tony Lord and he was Brian's father!

The romantic story of Llanview's youngest lovers, Tim Siegel and Jenny Wolek, cousin of Vince, Larry and Anna, captivated viewers. Jenny, a novice nun, fell deeply in love with Tim, the son of Joe Riley's sister Eileen, and her late lawyer husband, Dave Siegel. The young couple's romance sent tremors through Llanview. Eileen was vehemently opposed to his relationship with Jenny because she felt it had been the reason Tim decided to drop out of law school. The Woleks were equally upset, feelings that Jenny should not have swayed from her committment to God. Eventually, Jenny decided to cling to her commitment by honoring a promise to aid earthquake victims in the third-world country of San Carlos and left town hoping to return soon.

Elsewhere, Joe began spending long hours with Cathy and their ailing daughter Megan and began to neglect his relationship with Viki. Tony, confused as to his ex-lover Pat Kendall's frigid response to him, turned to Cathy for support. Later, he married her. But Cathy was quickly descending into depression, mood swings and deep anxiety as her daughter Megan's health worsened. One night, Megan began suffering from a severe respiratory infection and Viki Riley, concerned for her welfare, decided to drive the little girl to Llanview Hospital. On the way, she had a car accidnet which killed Megan and put Viki into a deep coma. Despite the fact that no one else blamed Viki for the crash, Cathy never forgave her and her mental state deteriorated.

Viki came out of her coma months later and discovered that she was pregnant with Joe's baby. What would have been viewed as joyous news, was marred for Viki by the knowledge that Megan's heart problem had been traced genetically to Joe. She had to make the tough decision whether or not to abort a potentially unhealthy baby or keeping the precious child no matter what its fate. Ultimately, Viki decided to have the baby.

1976
Her marriage to Mark a disaster, Julie returned home to her mother Eileen and began to exhibit emotional problems. When Eileen became involved with Ben Farmer (former husband of Rachel, the woman Mark and Dorian inadvertantly killed), Julie was appalled. She did not want her mother to ever forget the memory of her father Dave and, without realizing it, did not want her mother to find the happiness she, herself, could not have. Because of her interference, Eileen's romance with Ben was destroyed.

Jenny returned from San Carlos with malaria, attended by physician Peter Janssen (Jeffrey Pomerantz). After her recovery, she and Tim planned to be married at last. Jenny's decision to leave the sisterhood infuriated her cousin, Vince. In a hospital stairwell, Vince and Tim were involved in a vehement argument when, suddenly, Tim lost his balance and tumbled down the steps. Critically injured in the fall, Tim held on to life just long enough to exchange deathbed wedding vows with his beloved Jenny.

Joe was overjoyed when Viki gave birth to their first child, frail little Kevin. However, joy turned to panic when a psychotic Cathy kidnapped the baby boy from the hospital. Cathy, whose mind had become unbalanced after the death of her own daughter, took Kevin away and fantasized that he was her baby. Agonizing weeks passed before Kevin was safely returned, and Cathy was captured and hospitalized. Treated by Dr. Will Vernon (Farley Granger), she later recovered, divorced Tony and moved out west.

Bedridden by heart problems, Victor was cared for by his new wife, Dorian, whose plan to marry him had worked, and who loved Victor's family fortune more than she loved her husband. Thrilled to be the new lady of the manor, she chose to replace the portrait of Eugenia Lord that had hung above the fireplace of Llanfair for many years, with a portrait of herself. After Dorian got Victor to change his will, she became extremely apprehensive over Tony's presence in town. Fearing that a Tony/Victor reunion would end her chances at inheriting Victor's money, Dorian set about to fill Tony's head with lies about his father. As it turned out, Dorian's quick thinking made her a wealthy widow; by the time Tony and Victor were able to iron out their differences, Victor had suffered a massive stroke and was unable to alter his will to acknowledge Tony. His first stroke left him unable to speak and unable to tell Viki of Dorian's treachery. A second stroke left him barely clinging to life. One night, he died in his hospital room with Dorian by his bedside, refusing to administer the medicine that could prolong his life. Dorian paid the price for her scheme, however. For the next twenty years, rumors would run rampant that she had murdered her husband.

After her beloved Timmy's death, Jenny turned for comfort to Llanview newcomer Brad Vernon (Jameson Parker). Brad, who dreamed of being a tennis pro, had a bad knee that prevented it. He romanced Jenny, while at the same time, he was sleeping with Lana McClain (Jacklyn Zeman), a waitress in town.

Pat and Tony began an affair, and Pat eventually confessed that he was her son Brian's father, not Paul Kendall. They planned to be married, but Brian was dead-set against having Tony as a step father
1977
Larry discovered love again when he met his distant cousin, Karen Wolek (Judith Light). They began dating and before long, they married. Karen settled into life as Larry's wife, but found the life boring and unsettling. She searched for something to satisfy her thirst for luxury and excitement, which she rarely had since her husband spent long hours at the hospital. Things would take a tragic turn when Marco Dane came to town.

Planning to be wed, things came crashing down suddenly around Jenny Siegel and Brad Vernon. Lana McClain was found dead just hours before their wedding. Brad went to trial for the crime and the shocking revelation came out that Lana had been pregnant with his child! Brad was eventually cleared of the murder, but went to jail for several months, convicted of perjury in lying to the grand jury. Though Jenny tried to have their marriage annulled, Brad managed to convince her that he'd reformed.

Naomi Vernon, wife of Dr. Will and mother of Brad and Samantha, inadvertantly committed suicide, unable to forgive her husband for a past affair, and believing that he was currently carrying on with his daughter-in-law Jenny. She’d taken an overdose of drugs, hoping to scare Will back into her arms, but her plan failed when she died in the process. Naomi’s death tore the Vernon family apart.

Joe and Viki's marriage endured another serious crisis when, after the safe return of their kidnapped son, Kevin, Joe began experiencing searing pain in his head. Suspecting a brain tumor, Joe listened to Dorian's advice and kept the news secret from Viki. Dorian had an ulterior motive -- she wanted to break up Joe and Viki and thus did anything she could to turn their problems to her own advantage. Joe began turning to alcohol to alleviate his problems and one night wound up spending the night at Dorian's home. Viki was mortified. But eventually, the couple worked through their problems and began raising their son Kevin. Finally coming to his senses, Joe underwent surgery for the tumor which turned out to be benign.

Becky Lee Hunt arrived in Llanview, hoping to make it big as a country western singer. It was not long before she fell in love with Viki’s cousin Richard Abbott, who was working as a reporter for the BANNER.

Pat was shocked to learn that her ex-husband Paul Kendall was in actuality alive, causing problems for her relationship with Tony. In the end, she told Tony that she was going to remarry Paul, for Brian’s sake. But Pat and Tony eventually found they could not resist their attraction and began carrying on an affair behind Paul’s back.