Joan Ganz Cooney
Joan Ganz Cooney | |
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Television writer | |
Known for | Children's Television Workshop (1968-2000) (renamed as) Sesame Workshop (2000–present) Sesame Street (1969–present) |
Spouses |
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Relatives | Emil Ganz (grandfather) |
Joan Ganz Cooney (born Joan Ganz; November 30, 1929) is an American television writer and producer. She is one of the founders of Sesame Workshop (formerly Children's Television Workshop or CTW), the organization famous for the creation of the children's television show Sesame Street, which was also co-created by her. Cooney grew up in Phoenix and earned a Bachelor of Arts in education from the University of Arizona in 1951. After working for the State Department in Washington, D.C., and as a journalist in Phoenix, she worked as a publicist for television and production companies in New York City. In 1961, she became interested in working for educational television, and became a documentary producer for New York's first educational TV station WNET (Channel 13). Many of the programs she produced won local Emmys.
In 1966, Cooney hosted what she called "a little dinner party"
Cooney remained executive director of the CTW until 1990 when she became the chair of CTW's executive board. She served on different boards, was the trustees of many organizations, and received many awards and honorary degrees. In 2007, the Sesame Workshop founded The Joan Ganz Cooney Center, named in her honor.
Early life and education
Joan Ganz was born on November 30, 1929,[3] in Phoenix, Arizona, to Sylvan Ganz, a banker, and Pauline (née Reddon), a homemaker. Her father was from Phoenix.[4] Her father was Jewish and her mother was Catholic.[5] Her grandfather Emil Ganz was a tailor from Walldorf, Thuringia, in Germany, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1858 and was president of the First National Bank of Arizona and mayor of Phoenix for three terms.[6] Joan Ganz was the youngest of three siblings.[7] She described her childhood as "upper middle class, country club atmosphere" and stated, "I was raised in the most conventional way, raised to be a housewife and a mother, to work an interesting job when I got out of college, and to marry at the appropriate age, which would have been twenty-five".[8]
She attended
Early career
After graduating in 1951, Ganz moved to
Her literary contacts, political savvy, and vast interest in the "world of ideas"—in addition to disarming self-confidence—got her hired [at Channel 13]. Her masterful organization skills and intuitive grasp of the zeitgeist of the times won her success.
—Writer Louise A. Gikow, Sesame Street: A Celebration[14]
While Cooney was working for the U.S. Steel Hour, a colleague left to work for the educational television station
Taking a pay cut,
In February 1964, at age 34, she married Timothy Cooney, a staff member of New York mayor
Sesame Street and the Children's Television Workshop
In the winter of 1966, Cooney hosted what she called "a little dinner party"
In the summer of 1967, Cooney took a leave of absence from WNDT and, funded by Carnegie Corporation, traveled the U.S. and Canada interviewing experts in child development, education, and television. She reported her findings in a fifty-five-page document entitled "The Potential Uses of Television in Preschool Education".[27] The report, which Gikow called "a schematic for the show Sesame Street would become",[28] described what the new show would look like and proposed the creation of a company that oversaw its production, which eventually became known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW).[1][note 1] Cooney later stated that her undergraduate training in Education helped her research and write the study, and that it, along with her Emmy, provided her with credibility in the eyes of both the experts she interviewed and the new show's funding sources.[1] Davis credited Cooney's motivation to be involved with the project with her journalism skills, learned early in her career, and her idealism, which drove her to want to, as she put it, "make a difference".[30] She later told an interviewer, "I could do a thousand documentaries on poverty and poor people that would be watched by a handful of the convinced, but I was never really going to have an influence on my times".[30] She later told Davis, "Preschoolers were not necessarily my thing. It was using television in a constructive way that turned me on".[31]
At first, Cooney assumed that the project would be produced by WNDT, but when the station's owner rejected the proposal and questioned Cooney's credentials, she left the station and went to the Carnegie Corporation as a full-time consultant in May 1967.[32] For the next two years, Cooney and Morrisett worked on researching and developing the new show, raising $8 million for Sesame Street, and establishing the CTW.[33] According to Davis, despite her leadership in the project's initial research and development, Cooney's installment as CTW's executive director was put in doubt due to her lack of high-level managerial experience and leadership, untested financial management skills, and lack of experience in children's television and education. Davis also speculated that sexism was involved, stating, "Doubters also questioned whether a woman could gain the full confidence of a quorum of men from the federal government and two elite philanthropies, institutions whose wealth exceeded the gross national product of entire countries".[34] At first, Cooney did not fight for the position, but with the support of her husband and Morrisett, and after the investors of the project realized that they could not move forward without her, Cooney pursued it and was named executive director of CTW in February 1968.[35] As one of the first female executives in American television, her appointment was called "one of the most important television developments of the decade".[2]
Sesame Street premiered on PBS on November 10, 1969.
In 1969, the Cooneys, who were childless,
Later years
Cooney remained the chairwoman and chief executive officer of the CTW until 1990 when she stepped down and was replaced by David Britt, whom Cooney called her "right-hand for many years".[44] Britt had worked for her at the CTW since 1975 and had been its president and chief operating officer since 1988. At that time, she became chairman of the CTW's executive board, which oversaw its businesses and licensing, and became more involved in the organization's creative side.[54]
Cooney served on several committees and corporate boards, including the
Honors
Unless otherwise noted, entries from Cooney's entry in Encyclopedia of Television (2013).[57]
- Christopher Medal, 1970[58]
- National Institute for Social Sciences Gold Medal, 1971[59]
- Urban League, 1972
- Silver Satellite Award, American Women in Radio and TV, 1979
- Woman of the Decade Award, 1979
- National Endowment for the Arts, Friends of Education Award, 1981
- Kiwanis Decency Award, 1981
- National Association of Educational Broadcasters Distinguished Service Award, 1981
- Stephen S. WiseAward, 1981
- Harris Foundation Award, 1982
- Emmy Award, for Lifetime Achievement, 1989[60]
- Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, 1989[61]
- University of Arizona Centennial Medallion Award, 1989[62]
- Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1995[49]
- 10th Anniversary Award, National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations, 1996[63]
- National Women's Hall of Fame, 1998[64]
- National Endowment for the Humanities Award, 2003[65]
- National Humanities Medal, 2004[66]
- Literarian Award of the National Book Award, 2010[67]
- Honoree, Annual Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala, 2014[68][69]
- International Broadcasting Convention's International Honor for Excellence; first woman to receive award, 2018[70]
Board of directors
- Director, Johnson & Johnson[71]
- Director, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
- National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, 1971–73[72]
- National News Council, 1973–81[73]
- Council Foreign Relations, 1974–present[62]
- Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations, 1978–80[62]
- Governor's Commission on International Year of the Child, 1979
- President's Commission for Agenda for the 1980s, 1980–81[74]
- Carnegie Foundation National Panel on High Schools, 1980–82[62]
- National Organization for Women (NOW)
- National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
- National Institute Social Sciences
- International Radio and TV Society
- American Women in Radio and TV
Trustee
- WNET (Channel 13)[75]
- Emeritus, Museum of Television & Radio (Paley Center)[76]
- Allegheny College[77]
- Columbia Presbyterian Hospital[62]
- National Child Labor Committee[62]
Honorary degrees
- Boston College, 1970[78]
- Hofstra University, 1970[79]
- Ohio Wesleyan University, 1971
- Oberlin College, 1972
- Princeton University, 1973[80]
- Russell Sage College, 1974[81]
- University of Arizona, 1975, 1989
- Harvard University, 1975
- Allegheny College, 1976
- Georgetown University, 1978[82]
- University of Notre Dame, 1982[83]
- Smith College, 1986[84]
- Brown University, 1987[85]
- Columbia University, 1991[86]
- New York University, 1991
- University of Pennsylvania, 2002[87]
- Dartmouth College (Doctor of Arts), 2006[88]
- Northwestern University (Doctor of Humane Letters), 2012[89]
References
Footnotes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Shirley Wershba (host) (April 27, 1998). "Joan Ganz Cooney, Part 3" (video clip). Archive of American Television. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
- ^ a b Davis, pp. 128–129
- ^ "Our Legacy". Joan Ganz Cooney Center. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Shirley Wershba (host) (April 27, 1998). "Joan Ganz Cooney, Part 1" (video clip). Archive of American Television. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
- ^ Larkin, Kathy (July 16, 1985). "Joan Ganz Cooney: The Children's Advocate". Lawrence Journal-World. Vol. 127, no. 197. Lawrence, Kansas. p. 41. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
- ^ Davis, p. 18
- ^ Davis, p. 17
- ^ a b O'Dell, p. 67
- ^ Davis, p. 22
- ^ Davis, p. 23
- ^ "Beta Delta Arizona". Kappa Alpha Theta. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f O'Dell, p. 68
- ^ Davis, p. 24
- ^ a b c d Gikow, p. 18
- ^ Davis, pp. 28–29
- ^ a b c d e Shirley Wershba (host) (April 27, 1998). "Joan Ganz Cooney, Part 2" (video clip). Archive of American Television. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
- ^ ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
- ^ a b Davis, p. 70
- ^ a b c Davis, p. 71
- ^ Gikow, p. 20
- ^ a b O'Dell, p. 69
- ^ Davis, p. 63
- ^ Davis, p. 64
- ^ Davis, p. 12
- ^ a b Davis, p. 16
- ^ Morrow, p. 47
- ^ Davis, pp. 66–67
- ^ Gikow, p. 21
- ^ "CTW Changes Name to Sesame Workshop". Muppet Central News. Reuters. June 5, 2000. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
- ^ a b O'Dell, p. 70
- ^ Davis, p. 61
- ^ Morrow, p. 53
- ^ Morrow, p. 71
- ^ Davis, p. 124
- ^ Davis, pp. 125–126
- ^ Davis, p. 192
- ^ Mitgang, Lee D. (2000). Big Bird and Beyond: The New Media and the Markle Foundation. New York: Fordham University Press. p. 17.
- ^ Seligsohn, Leo. (February 9, 1970). "Backstage at Sesame Street". New York Newsday. Quoted in Davis, p. 197.
- ^ "Sesame Street: TV's gift to children". Time Magazine. November 23, 1970.
- ^ Davis, p. 197
- ^ Morrow, p. 49
- ^ Shirley Wershba (host) (April 27, 1998). "Joan Ganz Cooney, Part 3" (video clip). Archive of American Television. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
- ^ a b c Davis, p. 199
- ^ a b c Shirley Wershba (host) (April 27, 1998). "Joan Ganz Cooney, Part 9" (video clip). Archive of American Television. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
- ^ a b Davis, p. 261
- ^ Davis, pp. 261–263
- ^ Davis, p. 163
- ^ Davis, p. 264
- ^ a b Davis, p. 341
- ^ O'Dell, p. 74
- ^ a b O'Dell, p. 75
- ^ Shirley Wershba (host) (April 27, 1998). "Joan Ganz Cooney, Part 6" (video clip). Archive of American Television. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
- ^ Stout, David (March 20, 2018). "Peter G. Peterson, financier who warned of rising national debt, dies at 91". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ Carter, Bill (July 31, 1990). "Children's TV Workshop Head to Step Down". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ Jensen, Elizabeth (December 6, 2007). "Institute Named for 'Sesame' Creator". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ Sahm, Charles (May 25, 2014). "De Blasio should endorse pre-K at charter schools". New York Post. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-203-93734-1.
- ^ "President Bush Awards 2003 Humanities Medals" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: National Endowments for the Arts. November 14, 2003. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "Gold Medal Honorees: 1913 - 2018". National Institute of Social Sciences. New York. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ Sharbutt, Jay (June 30, 1989). "NBC's 'Santa Barbara' Is Top Daytime Emmy Winner". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ "Hall of Fame Honorees: Complete List". Television Academy. October 12, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "Joan Ganz Cooney". Sesame Workshop. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ Brozan, Nadine (January 30, 1993). "Chronicle". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ "Discover the Women of the Hall: Joan Ganz Cooney". National Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ Riechers, Maggie. "Joan Ganz Cooney: National Humanities Medal 2003". National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "Faculty Recognition". Emory University Department of History Newsletter. No. 49. August 2004. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Bosman, Julie (November 17, 2010). "National Book Award for Patti Smith". The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ Kaplan, Don (May 30, 2014). "Barbara Walters runs with a wild crowd of Muppets at 'Sesame Street' anniversary". Daily News. New York. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ Heyman, Marshall (May 29, 2014). "Down for the Count (and Other Muppets)". The Wall Street Journal. Washington, D.C. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ Berger, Laura (August 31, 2018). ""Sesame Street's" Joan Ganz Cooney Becomes First Woman to Receive Top IBC Honor". Women and Hollywood. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ Deutsch, Claudia T. (October 30, 1988). "New Chief: Ralph S. Larsen; Taking the Reins From a Legend". The New York Times. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ^ Graham, Fred P. (February 13, 1972). "National Commission to Propose Legal Private Use of Marijuana". The New York Times. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ISBN 0-8232-2041-9.
- ^ A National Agenda for the Eighties: Report. Washington, D.C.: United States President's Commission for a National Agenda for the Eighties. 1980. p. 201. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "About WNET: Trustees". WNET.org. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Brady, Teresa (October 25, 2017). "The Paley Center for Media Announces Five New Members of its Board of Trustees" (Press release). New York: The Paley Center for Media. Globe Newswire. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "Cooney joins trustee board" (PDF). The Campus. No. 98. Meadville, Pennsylvania: Allegheny College. September 17, 1974. p. 5. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "Honorary Degrees Awarded by Boston College 1952-1995". Boston College Fact Book 1996-1997. August 5, 1996. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients (as of December 2017)". Hofstra University. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Leitch, Alexander (1978). "Honorary degrees". A Princeton Companion. Princeton University Press. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "Recipients of Honorary Degrees". Russell Sage College 2009-2010 Catalog. Russell Sage College. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "Georgetown Law Timeline: 1870-2010". Washington, D.C.: Georgetown Law Library. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "A former secretary of state and the creator of..." (Press release). UPI. May 16, 1982. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ "Honorary Degrees: Recipients". Northampton, Massachusetts: Smith College. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "Honorary Degrees: 1900s". Brown University. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ "Nine Receive Honorary Degrees from Columbia at Commencement". University Record. No. 16. New York: Columbia University. May 24, 1991. p. 5. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Ackerman, Gina (April 2, 2002). "Lehrer to get honorary degree". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Adams, Roland (May 15, 2006). "Elie Wiesel to Speak at Commencement". Vox of Dartmouth. Archived from the original on June 7, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Moore, Judy (June 15, 2012). "Honorary Degrees Awarded". Northwestern University News Center. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
Works Cited
- Davis, Michael (2008). Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. New York: Viking Penguin. ISBN 978-0-670-01996-0
- Gikow, Louise A. (2009). Sesame Street: A Celebration— Forty Years of Life on the Street. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. ISBN 978-1-57912-638-4.
- Morrow, Robert W. (2006). Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-8230-3
- O'Dell, Cary (1997). Women Pioneers in Television: Biographies of Fifteen Industry Leaders. "Joan Ganz Cooney", pp. 67–80. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-0167-2.
External links
- Joan Ganz Cooney at IMDb
- Text of Cooney's proposal "The Potential Uses of Television in Preschool Education"
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Joan Ganz Cooney at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television