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Revision as of 00:33, 12 June 2011

Jeanne Phillips (born in the 1940s)[1] is an advice columnist who writes the advice column Dear Abby.

She is the daughter of Pauline Phillips, who founded "Dear Abby" in 1956, and her husband, Morton Phillips. In a Dear Abby column on December 12, 2000, Pauline introduced Jeanne as co-creator of Dear Abby.[2] They began to share the byline Abigail Van Buren and both were pictured with the column. Jeanne officially assumed the mantle of Dear Abby in August 2002, when the Phillips family made the announcement that Pauline had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Jeanne continues to write under the pen name "Abigail Van Buren." [3]

Jeanne Phillips' Dear Abby is syndicated in about 1,400 newspapers in the U.S. with a combined circulation of more than 110 million. Dear Abby's website receives about 10,000 letters per week, seeking advice on a large variety of personal matters.

Dear Abby

Jeanne Phillips' history with Dear Abby

Jeanne Phillips began assisting her mother, Pauline Phillips with the Dear Abby column at the age of 14 in order to earn an allowance. When Jeanne asked her mother for an allowance, Pauline answered, "What are you going to do for it?" Pauline then said that her Dear Abby column received a substantial amount of mail from teenagers and that Jeanne could reply to some of them. If Jeanne's responses were "good", her mother would use them in the column. If her responses were not good, Jeanne would rewrite them.[4] Jeanne spent her allowance money on watching movies and plays. She went to San Francisco several times to see the play, Li'l Abner.[5]

Since 1987, she had worked with her mother on the column. She began writing a majority of the columns since the early 1990s, though, until 2000, her mother did not publicly acknowledge her as the column's co-writer. Jeanne worked as the writer, while Pauline edited.[6] Every day, her column is read by 110 million people and syndicated in about 1,400 newspapers.[4][7] Every week, she gets about 10,000 letters and emails asking her for advice.[8]

Style and support of gay marriage

Phillips characterized her mother's style as "softer", while she herself "[gets] to the root of the problem quickly".[4] Both Jeanne and Pauline have made gay marriage a topic in their column.[4] In 1984, Jeanne directed the parent of a gay child to Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).[9] In 2007, her daughter openly announced her support of gay marriage. In the same year, she was given the "Straight for Equality" award by PFLAG.[9]

Operation Dear Abby

Operation Dear Abby was started during the Vietnam War in 1967 by Phillips' mother, through which holiday messages were sent to American soldiers.[10] Phillips' mother was inspired to create this service when Billy Thompson, a sergeant, requested a letter from home for his Christmas present.[11]

When the 2001 anthrax attacks occurred, the operation was postponed.[12] Jeanne Phillips collaborated with The Pentagon to create an Internet substitute. In 2003, the website received on average 20,000 to 30,000 messages every day. Prior to the Iraq War, the website received only 2,000 to 3,000 messages every day.[10]

The messages are categorized by state and uniformed service but are not sent to specific individuals.[10] Soldiers received the messages by either accessing them on OperationDearAbby.net or when their officers printed out the messages for distribution.[13]

Interviews and media

Phillips has appeared on many television talk shows, including multiple appearances on CNN's Larry King Live.[14] Many prestigious national organizations have acknowledged her for her advice and efforts to educate her readers on different topics including those related to health, safety, and acceptance of multiculturalism and diversity.

On December 1, 2005, Jeanne made her first live radio broadcast via Internet radio.[15] In her press release regarding that broadcast, she said that she sometimes calls people who have written her since, in many cases, it is easier to advise people over the phone than through letters.[4][15]

Personal life

Jeanne Phillips was born to Pauline Phillips, the founder of Dear Abby, and Morton Phillips.[6][16] Phillips attended elementary school at Hillsborough, California. For the first two years of secondary education, she attend Burlingame High School. After her sophomore year, she transferred to Crystal Springs Uplands School and attended the private school for one year. Shortly afterwards, her family moved to Minnesota.[4]

Phillips married a "brilliant, charming, talented" man in the 1970s, but the marriage was not successful.[6] She planned to remain single but later fell in love again. In 2002, she married her second husband, a real estate agent.[4] Every day, Phillips reads the letters sent to her Dear Abby column and pens her column in the afternoon.[4] In the evenings, she either cooks or goes out to dinner with her husband.[4]

She has largely kept her personal life to herself,[4] with only occasional references to it while advising people or during interviews. She has never disclosed her husband's identity. During her 2005 web-radio broadcast, she mentioned that her husband was younger than she. Her date of birth has not been made public. According to a 2002 interview, Phillips and her husband have no children. Phillips lives in Los Angeles, California.[9]

Jeanne is Jewish.[17] In her column, she writes holiday greetings to people of all religions and occasionally gives advice to people based on their religion.

See also

References

  1. ^ Tyler, Greg (2001-11-15). "Stateside groups use computers to keep Any Servicemember programs going". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009. Mailing programs like Operation Dear Abby benefit American society in more ways than just building troop morale, advice columnist Jeanne Phillips said. Phillips, 56, co-writes the Dear Abby column and shares the pen name Abigail Van Buren with her mother, Pauline Phillips, 83. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Dear Abby creator has Alzheimer's, family announces". Chicago Tribune. 7 August 2002. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  3. ^ Ewing, Jody (23 August 2001). "Daughter Helps Keep 'Abby' Ink Flowing". Ewing, Jody. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hartlaub, Peter (2008-04-14). "Dear Abby is her own woman". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  5. ^ Hartlaub, Peter (2009-01-24). "Dear Abby on good times, people". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  6. ^ a b c Wilson, Amy (2001-09-05). "Dear Abby and Daughter; Jeanne Phillips Is Now Co-Writer of Her Mother's Column". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  7. ^ Hartlaub, Peter (2009-01-24). "How Dear Abby column started at The Chronicle". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  8. ^ Steff, Marsha Kay (2005-07-02). "Jeanne Phillips: 'Just call me Abby'". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  9. ^ a b c Leff, Lisa (2007-10-10). "'Dear Abby' says she's for gay marriage". The Pantagraph. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  10. ^ a b c Salant, Jonathan D. (2003-04-16). "Web Site for Troops Nears 2 Million Messages". RedOrbit. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  11. ^ Komando, Kim (2003-03-31). "Web sites help you show support of the troops". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  12. ^ "Operation Dear Abby Brought to Halt Because of Anthrax Fears". Los Angeles Times. 2001-10-20. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  13. ^ Seda, Jess (2003-04-03). "Send e-mails to troops". The Voice. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  14. ^ "Jeanne Phillips, A.K.A. "Dear Abby"". Speakers Platform. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  15. ^ a b "First Web Radio Broadcast for 'Dear Abby' Writer". AllBusiness.com. 2005-11-23. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  16. ^ "Dear Abby". Dear Abby. 2004-06-20. Archived from the original on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  17. ^ Numbich, Paul David (2009). The Faith Next Door: American Christians and Their New Religious Neighbors. Oxford University Press. p. 156. ISBN 0195386213. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
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