From Mara Levinsky, feature editor

Maeve Kinkead (Vanessa, GL) — JPI

GUIDING LIGHT was the last soap I picked up, but once I started watching it, it quickly became my favorite. This was in 1990, and I was absolutely riveted by, well, just about everything going on in Springfield at the time: Josh and Harley's romance, the rekindling of Roger and Holly's dangerous relationship; Rick marrying Beth to maintain the ruse that Phillip was dead (he'd faked his demise after being falsely accused of murder). I just fell in love with the show wholesale, there's no doubt about it. About seven years later, when I was a summer intern at Soap Opera Weekly, former GL editor Mark McGarry let me come to the set with him to observe the taping of Matt and Vanessa's reunion. I don't think I had ever been so star-struck in my life! Maeve Kinkead (Vanessa), an actress I admire greatly, was so kind and lovely to me ... At least I think she was, I was sort of not in my body at the time! Later, as an editor at Digest, I actually got to know on a personal basis many of the actors whose pictures graced my wall as a teenager (how many people can say that?) and to share with them how much their work meant to me. That Robert Newman (Josh) and Beth Ehlers (ex-Harley; now Taylor on AMC) are such gems as people just proves what awesome taste I had back then, wouldn't you say? I will never feel the same way about a TV show as I did about GUIDING LIGHT. I will miss it terribly.

From Lauren Flynn, associate editor

GL's Marah (Lindsey McKeon) circa 2006 — CBS

Prior to joining the staff of Soap Opera Digest in 2005, I had only watched GUIDING LIGHT two times in my life. The first was in 2003, when my actor/writer father got a speaking role on the show playing a "scary" cemetery caretaker, which I found hilarious. The scene went something like this: Marah and Marina (then played by Lindsey McKeon and Aubrey Dollar, respectively) go into the cemetery at night looking for someone's grave when Marah suddenly feels a hand on her shoulder and is totally stunned. Cut to a commercial, and when we return, she's like, "Oh, Mr. So and So, I didn't know it was you!" and he gives her a creepy look and slowly groans, "I know you ... you're that Lewis kid." But perhaps my favorite creepy character (sorry, Dad!) was Cassie's son Will, who was trouble with a capital T. His reign of terror wasn't brilliant storytelling by any means, but it was unintentionally funny and campy, which kept the LIGHT on for me while the show was going through some technical growing pains. Edmund's tumble off the church balcony was definitely memorable ("I showed him ... good," sneered Will), but I think my favorite scenes were whenever Will tried to mess with saintly Joshua. The rivalry even spawned a Josh vs. Will promo teasing, "Evil has many faces ... but this one will shock you." Sadly, Will was shipped off to reform school and now that pairings like "Otalia" and "Bizzie" have me hooked, GL is leaving me too soon. If Edmund does turn out to be dead, let's not rule out Will as a murder suspect, who they'd undoubtedly age if they brought him back before September.

From Marc Wilkofsky, copy editor

Robert Newman (Josh, GL) — JPI

A longtime, dedicated GUIDING LIGHT viewer, I became Soap Opera Weekly's point person for the show this year, just when it's having a fantastic (albeit apparently finite) era. I have enough personal GL memories to write a book, but I'll start with just a few, including a couple that happen to involve the always genial Robert Newman (Josh), who has been on the show just about as long as I've watched it and was part of my all-time favorite GL story, 1987-'89's enthralling Josh/Reva/Sonni/Solita epic.

In the green room for 2001's GL fan club gathering, which I covered as a backup Weekly editor, I interviewed several of my favorite soap's cast members before they entered the main room, and had the pleasure of speaking with Mary Stuart (ex-Meta) for a little while. My parents had a record album of hers, and I had watched her portray SEARCH FOR TOMORROW's cornerstone character Jo. She spoke with me about writer Lucky Gold ("He's fascinating. I love the stories that he's doing.") and was thrilled eggplant ("My favorite!") was served in the buffet. Sadly, she passed away the next February.

That year's gathering, because it happened the month after the 9/11 attacks, featured something truly special: all the cast members entering the Roosevelt Hotel ballroom in unison (instead of one or two at a time). The applause was, of course, thunderous. I remember Crystal Chappell (Olivia) sported a flag T-shirt, and can't forget Newman beautifully singing "The Prayer" with his wife, Britt Helfer (including the ballad's Italian lyrics!). In an article about 2006's Daytime Stars and Strikes bowling event, I quoted Newman as noting that one of his favorite GL gathering memories was that inspirational moment: "That was pretty nice, because I was able to be with my wife. That it actually happened on the heels of 9/11 was pretty amazing." At the 2008 gathering, I briefly spoke with Newman, and because Kati Mac had performed the show's "Only Love" theme for the attendees, I mentioned that memorable day to him. He was glad to look back at his performance, and perhaps he'll sing at this October's event.

And that's just the tip of my reminisceberg, believe me. More memories of GL stars and stories are on their way.

From Melissa Scardaville, GL editor, 1999-2005

Ron Raines (Alan, GL) — CBS

I remember a lot of the 50th anniversary (on TV) activities in 2002 very vividly. Krista Tesreau (Mindy) was back and I was doing a Q&A with her and Michael O'Leary (Rick) on the couch outside of Ron Raines's (Alan) dressing room. For some reason, Grant (Aleksander, Phillip) wasn't slated to be there that day, but he turned up anyway, crashed the interview and the three of them literally teased and joked with one another for an hour. In general, there was a real feeling of excitement then, that GL was at a good place. Maeve (Kinkead, Vanessa) was there, they had just recast Bill (with Danny Cosgrove) and the cast was very excited about the show.

From Donna Hoke Kahwaty, GL Editor, 1988-1995

The late Michael Zaslow (ex-Roger) — CBS

The late Michael Zaslow (ex-Roger) gave me the runaround for years about doing a feature profile. (He was rivaled only by Jordan Clarke [Billy], who finally agreed to an interview when I cornered him at the studio, then called the day of the appointment to cancel because he'd been "hit by a taxi cab"!) Although he let me write about his daughters' adoption, Zaslow would never sit for anything about himself. He'd say he would when he saw me at the studio, but when I followed up, he'd always find a way out of it. Even when he was able to name the restaurant — "Even Lutèce?" he teased — he still didn't come through. It became a running gag.

One year, we were in Los Angeles for the Soap Opera Digest awards. After the show, I was hanging out in the lobby bar with all the GUIDING LIGHT actors when Sherry Stringfield (ex-Blake, then-Susan, ER) showed up. She was excited to catch up with all of her old friends from the show, and invited us to continue the party up in her room. The group of us headed up, and there was lots of laughing and loose lips. In the midst of it, Zaslow, as if suddenly aware of the things he was saying, turned to me and said, only half-joking, "This is not your interview!"