Vanessa Dale

Vanessa "Van" Dale Raven Sterling, was the main character and the lead heroine in the now-defunct American Soap Opera Love of Life. She was originally played by Peggy McCay (1951-1955); then by actress Bonnie Bartlett (1955-1959) and Audrey Peters played Vanessa to the show's end.

Vanessa, or "Van" as she was more commonly called, was the older of the two daughters born to Will and Sarah Dale in the fictional community of Barrowsville, New York. She was considered to be the "good" sister, always thinking of others; whereas her sister, self-centered Meg Dale was thought of as the "bad" sister, always putting herself first. She also believed in being proper to those who she encountered every day. After her father died, Van made frequent trips back to her hometown from New York City, where she had moved, to keep her widowed mother updated on what her sister was up to. Despite her sister's villainous nature, she really did love Meg; and although she didn't often show it, Meg too loved Van.

Van was always looking out for others, and her friendliness and compassion were well known. She was an art school graduate and worked at a television show advertising agency, all the while keeping an eye on her selfish sister and giving her nephew, Ben "Beanie" Harper the love his mother denied him. At first, she had a roommate named Ellie Crown (Hildy Parks).

She was also known for being the type of person who made friends out of enemies. A woman named Tammy Forrest (Scottie McGregor; Ann Loring) hated her for replacing her on a show she once hosted, but eventually grew to like her, because Van helped her kick her drinking habit that got her fired from her job in the first place.

Unlike her capricious and amoral sister, who went from her marriage to one corrupt individual to another, she took her relationships very seriously and with utmost care. She met her first husband, former FBI agent turned attorney Paul Raven, after he helped her sister get acquitted on a murder charge. It came out that he had been married before, although he hadn't told Van. His first wife, Judith, was crazy; and his daughter, Carol, was a deaf-mute after witnessing a horrible crime.

...
Wikipedia