Valerie
Grant is the daughter of Paul and Helen Grant, and the sister of
Danny Grant. Valerie came from an honest but low-income family, and
grew in Salem's poorer neighborhood. In 1975, her world collided with
one that was completely the opposite when she met David. David was a
confused young man who had recently suffered a terrible ordeal.
Valerie offered to help him and convinced her family to allow him to
stay with them. This decision caused a stir in the Grant home, and in
the neighborhood, because David was white. However, none of this
mattered to Valerie and she nursed him back to health. As David got
stronger, he assimilated into the family with ease and tried to help
out with the house chores to earn his keep. As he and Valerie
interacted on an everyday basis, they began to be attracted to one
another.
However, Valerie soon discovered that David was David Banning, a man presumed to be dead in a car accident...who just so happened to be the stepson of her father's boss, Bob Anderson! When she confronted David with this, he explained that he had never been happier than he was with the Grants. Yet, Valerie convinced him that his family, his real family, had a right to know that he was still alive. And so, David returned to his family. Unfortunately, David also returned to his girlfriend, Brooke Hamilton. David and Valerie continued to see each other, though, and soon Brooke became jealous. Soon after, Brooke told David that she was pregnant. Because of this, David became engaged to Brooke. Valerie was crushed, but was determined to move on with her life. At her father's suggestion, she began dating Jerry Davis. Paul, who had never eagerly approved of Val's relationship with David even though he liked David, was pleased to see Valerie dating a black man.
Even
though Jerry was a nice guy, Valerie couldn't forget David and
continued to be a friend to him. Val's continued friendship with
David finally sparked the underlying conflict that had been there all
along. Jerry and Paul objected to her closeness to a white man.
Meanwhile, Valerie had to deal with her father's alcoholism. Paul,
who had been recovering for years, suddenly fell off the wagon when
his job at Anderson Manufacturing was jeopardized. Not long after
this, Paul died of a heart attack. David was there to console
Valerie, and they grew close once again.
At this time, David discovered that Brooke had lied about her pregnancy. Hurt, she went to Valerie and confessed his love for her. But the objections from her family were too great, and Valerie told David that what they had was impossible. Later, however, despite the objections of family and friends, Valerie proclaimed her love for David having realized that their races didn't matter. They soon became engaged amidst a cloud of controversy from both Valerie's and David's sides. Unfortunately, Valerie and David soon found out that they would never be together. After Valerie had initially rejected David, he had slept with Trish Clayton and she was now pregnant. As a result, Valerie broke off the engagement so that David would marry Trish and give his child a name. Soon after this, Valerie was accepted into the pre-med program at Howard University. In early 1977, she left for Washington, D.C.
Valerie continued to return to Salem often during the year, hoping that a reconciliation with David would be possible. And many times it seemed like it would, but the obstacle of Trish and her baby couldn't be escaped. After he and Trish married, and after Trish gave birth to Timmy Banning (later to be renamed Scotty), Valerie realized that she and David would never be together. She then returned to Washington to finish her studies permanently.
In
1981, Valerie returned to Salem, now as a first year intern at
University Hospital. By now, David had divorced Trish following a
rocky marriage. Once again, Valerie hoped that a relationship with
David would be possible. And once again, the odds were against her.
Although Valerie and David remained close friends, he became involved
with Renée DuMonde.
During this time, however, Valerie
met Sgt. Abe Carver from the Salem Police Department. Though it took
a while, Abe and Valerie began dating. Valerie discovered that Abe,
who seemed to be rough around the edges, was actually a dedicated man
with a family not unlike hers. His father had, too, died an untimely
death; he single-handedly supported his ill mother, his sister and
one of his little brothers. Knowing about Abe's home life, Valerie
was able to grow closer to him. In early 1982, Abe was shot while on
duty. Valerie operated on him, and proceeded to spend long hours by
his bedside until he recovered. But after his recovery, Valerie
wanted a commitment from Abe, a commitment he couldn't promise. Hurt,
Valerie broke up with Abe. She was soon offered a job at a
prestigious hospital in New York City, and she accepted it. After
saying good-bye to Danny and David, Valerie moved to New
York.
The character of Valerie Grant was
played by the following:
Tina Andrews (1975-1977)
Rose Fonseca (1977-1978)
Diane Sommerfield (1981-1982)