Related Articles

Cooney JoanGanz Biography

American educator and creator of the popular childrens educational TV show "Sesame Street." After her 1951 graduation from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in education, she landed a job as a reporter for the Arizona Republic. She was interested in education but felt strongly that the mass media could be used for humitarian purposes. She became a publicist for NBC and the for the U.S. Steel Hour, beginning in 1955.. Seeing the more purposeful mission of public television, she joined a non-commercial TV station in 1962 where she began producing documentaries on the social issues of poverty and the need for early childhood education. In February 1968 she made a proposal to the Carnegie Corporation that resulted in the establishment of CTW, the Childrens Television Workshop, and to the TV program "Sesame Street." Cooney has continued since then to advocate for education via the media. Cooney married Timothy Cooney in 1964 and they divorced in 1975. Five years later, iin 1980, she married Peter G. Peterson. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less