Phyllis Sugarman Dennery, 1918-1991
Phyllis Dennery easily moved from leadership roles in the National Council of Jewish Women and Touro Synagogue to those on the city’s library board, the Coordinating Council for Higher Education, and many other organizations in politics, cooking, and the arts. Her enthusiasm for the potential of public television catapulted her to national leadership. She not only helped establish WYES in the 1950s, but also served on the first National Friends of Public Broadcasting Board of Directors. At one time, she directed weekly packets of material to over 100 station volunteers around the country. People today remember this diversity of achievements, from the halls of Congress to her promotion of Roman candy and her needlepoint efforts at legislative hearings.
The Dennery Amendment to the national Telecommunications Act of 1978 was named in her honor.
Phyllis Dennery and Gladys Cahn, ca. 1960. National Council of Jewish Women, Greater New Orleans Section records, Collection 667, Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University.
Times-Picayune article, Nov. 5, 1978 disussing the approach Dennery took to have volunteer hours counted towards matching federal dollars.
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