TV pioneer Julia Child dead at 91
Cooking shows are a staple of television today, including some cable channels that run little else, but that wasn't always the case. Julia Child pioneered the genre on the national scene back in the 1960s and became one of the first PBS personalities to become a true star. Child died Friday at age 91, just two days shy of what would have been her 92nd birthday.
"Julia Child's legacy to America is felt nowhere more strongly than at PBS," said Pat Mitchell, President and CEO of PBS. "When it all began on WGBH, Boston's public television station, in 1962, no one had ever done a cooking show on television. But Julia set a standard for far more than a genre that has grown exponentially ever since. She made sophisticated cooking techniques accessible while promoting the art of cooking to men and women alike. She was a funny, witty and debonair character who charmed all who knew her - even if just by her television appearances. We're honored to have had her as part of the PBS family and we will cherish her memory."
Child, who didn't make her TV debut until she was in her 50s, won a Peabody Award in 1965 and an Emmy in 1966. She recorded her last cooking special in 1996.
Child was such a national institution that even President Bush took official note of her passing: "Julia Child enriched America with her optimism and enthusiasm for life. She worked with the Office of Strategic Services to protect freedom during World War II. She taught millions to enjoy cooking, and her legacy will continue through her books and videos. She was a pioneer in the early television age who made great strides for women. For her many contributions, she was honored in 2003 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civil honor. Laura and I send our prayers and condolences to her family and friends."
What was that World War II reference? Child had always insisted that her work for the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the CIA, was mundane clerical stuff in Ceylon, not real spy work...but you never know.
Are you reading this from a forwarded email?
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