Mary Nissenson
Mary Nissenson (April 1952 – October 23, 2017)[1] was an American television journalist, who also was an entrepreneur, social activist and university instructor.
Early life and education
A
Broadcast journalism career
After practicing briefly as a
In 1980, Nissenson was hired as a reporter/documentarian for
While in
Nissenson was hired by
From 1987 until 1988, Nissenson worked as a reporter at WBBM-TV in Chicago.[7] In an interview with Chicago Sun-Times TV columnist Robert Feder, Nissenson denied that she resigned from the station in May 1988 because she was unable to obtain an anchor slot at the station. "I simply want to be my own person," she told Feder.[7]
Career as an entrepreneur
In 1988, Nissenson formed Foresight Communications, Inc. (FCI). FCI's worked with Fortune 500 companies to divert monies from traditional marketing and advertising to public service ventures, earning Nissenson recognition as one of the "Socially Responsible Entrepreneurs of the Year" by INC Magazine and induction into the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.[citation needed] During this same period, she and husband Bill Scheer (now deceased), founded Assignment Desk, Inc. the first worldwide fully computerized booking agency for videographers.
Nissenson's company, Foresight Communications, Inc., served as principal architect (Agency of Record) for
Plastic surgery mishap
In 1995, a disastrous plastic surgery mishap left Nissenson homebound and disabled with an incurable pain condition, then known as cranial reflex sympathetic dystrophy[9] - ranked alongside terminal bone cancer as one of the most painful conditions in the world. The mishap was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, in countless newspapers and magazines, and several documentaries, including America the Beautiful (2007). She spent most of the next 14 years bedridden. During this period, Nissenson founded the Triumph Over Pain Foundation,[8] one of the first pain patient advocacy groups in the country,[citation needed] and wrote a column to offer advice and encouragement to other pain patients.
She also became an accomplished self-taught glass artisan and award-winning jewelry designer[citation needed] and opened the Bali Muse gallery in Chicago, whose revenues supported the work of her pain foundation.
Left by her husband and dropped by her insurance company, Nissenson lost her home[5] and life savings, paying for medical expenses well into the millions of dollars. In 2007, she moved to Kauai in the hopes of healing and regaining her strength.
Later years
Nissenson spent the final years of her life living in Sausalito, California, where she was an instructor of graduate multi-media at San Francisco's Academy of Art University. She also formed Global Gravitas, Inc. (a 501c3[clarification needed]) which specializes in strategic planning for international peace summits and global healthcare campaigns. Among their current projects are: A.M.E.N. (the first global campaign to fight MRSA) in cooperation with the President of the US Federation for Middle East Peace, and OMG (Obesity Must Go) a nationwide campaign to combat childhood obesity, in support of First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" efforts.
Nissenson died of septic shock on October 23, 2017.[1]
Personal life
Nissenson was married first to a lawyer, Michael Sweeney,[1] and then to Chicago TV reporter Mike Parker until 1989, when they divorced.[10] She married Bill Scheer in 1994, and the couple divorced several years later.[1][11]
References
- ^ a b c d "Mary Nissenson, former TV reporter left in chronic pain after facelift surgery, dies". Chicago Tribune. 5 November 2017.
- ^ "American Bar Association / Gavel Award Winners / 1970s" (PDF). American Bar Association. Retrieved September 29, 2010., p. 36
- ^ "George Foster Peabody Award Winners" (PDF). Peabody Awards. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2010., p. 42
- ^ "Democratic National Convention". Vanderbilt Television News Archive. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ^ a b Dennis Rodkin (October 15, 2009). "Former CBS2 Reporter Faces Lincoln Park Foreclosure". Chicago magazine. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ^ Surfacing Anchor. New York magazine. October 14, 1985. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ^ a b Feder, Robert (May 24, 1988). "Channel 5 boss Lobo moves to Miami post". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 47.
- ^ a b Elaine Gusac (March 29, 1998). "Bead It Disabled Marketer Takes Aim On A New Life Through Jewelry Design". Chicago Tribune.
- New York Daily News.
- ^ Kupcinet, Irv (September 17, 1989). "Kup on Sunday". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 10.
- ^ Kupcinet, Irv (July 12, 1994). "Kup's Column". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 38.