Background

Phyllis Ann George was born on June 25, 1949, in Denton, Texas. Her father, Robert, owned an oil distributorship. Her mother, Diantha Louise (Cogdell) George, was a homemaker.

Education

Phyllis attended Denton High School and was a cheerleader and the president of the junior class. She attended the University of North Texas for three years until being crowned Miss Texas in 1970. At that time, Texas Christian University awarded scholarships to Miss Texas honorees, and as a result, she left the University of North Texas to enroll at Texas Christian University, where she studied classical piano until she won the Miss America crown in the fall of 1971. She enrolled in a sorority as a member of Zeta Tau Alpha.

Career

In 1970, Phyllis Ann George won the Miss Texas beauty competition. Later in the same year, she entered the Miss America beauty pageant and was crowned Miss America 1971 on September 12, 1970.

As Miss America, Phyllis George traveled all over the country hopping from one city to another. She also appeared in numerous press conferences and talk shows, answering all types of questions ranging from teen problems and fashion to world affairs. Thrice, she appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. She also addressed youth and church groups, attended pageants and festivals, appeared in commercials. In August 1971, she went on a 22 days trip to Vietnam, along with six other beauties, to entertain the United States soldiers stationed there. She also visited Mexico and the Bahamas.

In 1972, Phyllis George debuted on television as a co-host of Candid Camera, a popular hidden camera reality television series. Later in the same year, she moved to CBS as regular sports staff, attending horse racing events, including the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.

In 1975, she began co-hosting The NFL Today, continuing to do so till 1986. Concurrently, she also appeared in other programs, co-hosting three Super Bowl broadcasts and six Rose Bowl Parades during this period. In 1978, she also hosted a primetime series entitled People.

In 1979, George served as First Lady of Kentucky when Brown became the state's governor. During this period, she took up many welfare activities, establishing the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in 1981, refurbishing the Governor's house, taking care of abused women and children.

In 1983, Phyllis published her first book, The I (Love) America Diet, which she co-authored with Bill Adler. Eventually, she would have six more books published; the last among them being Never Say Never: Yes You Can! (2009).

In 1985, she was given a two-week trial run for the CBS morning news program, eventually signing a three-year contract as a permanent anchor and a co-host of CBS Morning News. In this capacity, she interviewed many celebrated newsmakers including the then First Lady, Nancy Reagan.

Possibly in 1986, Phyllis George resigned from CBS and started a food company called Chicken by George, selling marinated boneless chicken breasts through grocery shops. In 1988, after a successful two-year run, she sold the venture Hormel Foods. She also was a founding member of the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship.

In the 1990s, George sporadically returned to the television, hosting her own prime-time talk show, A Phyllis George Special in 1994. In the same decade, she also hosted Spotlight with Phyllis George (1995) on The Nashville Network (TNN) and Women's Day (1999) on Paxnet TV Network.

In 2000, she debuted in films, appearing in the role of Linda Banks, a minor character, in Meet the Parents. Three years later, she returned to entrepreneurship, creating Phyllis George Beauty, which markets a line of cosmetics and skincare products through television shopping network HSN.

In 2003, Phyllis George created Phyllis George Beauty, which markets a line of cosmetics and skincare products through television shopping network HSN.

Achievements

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  Phyllis George was a noted American businesswoman and television personality. She came to the limelight after being crowned Miss America in 1971 at the age of 21. Phyllis was best known as a co-host of The NFL Today, the live pregame show broadcast before National Football League games on CBS. Since she was the first woman to have such a prominent role in television sports coverage, her co-hosts were initially skeptical but were quickly proven wrong.
  
  Phyllis George also served as the First Lady of Kentucky, establishing museums and doing welfare works. She established Phyllis George Beauty, a line of skincare and cosmetics products, at the age of 54. In 1991, Phyllis George was declared Celebrity Women Business Owner of the Year by the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Never Say Never: 10 Lessons to Turn You Can't Into Yes I Can

    (Life wisdom from one of America's best-loved personalitie...)

    2002
  • Living With Quilts: Fifty Great American Quilts

    (In Living With Quilts, former First Lady of Kentucky Phyl...)

    1998
  • The I Love America Diet 1983
  • Craft In America: Celebrating the Creative Work of the Hand 1993

• movie

  • Meet the Parents

    (Greg Focker decides to spend a weekend with his girlfrien...)

    2000

Religion

George was a woman of deep Christian faith.

Politics

Phyllis George came into the political spotlight after marrying a self-made millionaire running for governor John Young Brown Jr. in his home state. Various media described them as 'Phyllis of the multimillion-dollar smile, and John Y., of the multimillion-dollar checkbook' during Brown's campaign.

George attracted a lot of criticism for being overly involved in the campaign and with too much pre-eminent role while most candidate's wives stayed in the background.

During her time as Kentucky's First Lady, George took on the daunting task of renovating the crumbling Governor's Mansion, using only Kentucky craftsmen for the work. The mansion is now heralded as a Kentucky landmark.

Views

Over the years, Phyllis championed many humanitarian needs, including Save the Children and Special Olympics. She was a passionate advocate for Alzheimer's research, having lost her best friend, her mother, to the insidious disease. She annually honored caregivers who provide their loved ones with dignity and grace.

Quotations: "Crafts make us feel rooted, give us a sense of belonging, and connect us with our history. Our ancestors used to create these crafts out of necessity, and now we do them for fun, to make money, and to express ourselves."

"Life is what you make it: If you snooze, you lose; and if you snore, you lose more."

"My unanticipated success as a sportscaster is a perfect example of the importance of saying yes to yourself, even when you are uncertain."

"There's a fine line between being sweet and innocent and being a tough broad."

"Change to me is like an old friend. It's not my enemy anymore. And I know it will keep coming back to visit again and again to teach me something new."

"Everybody has a finite amount of energy and limits to what he or she can do. Listen to your body. It will talk to you if you're willing to listen."

Membership

Phyllis was a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha.

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  Zeta Tau Alpha , United States

Personality

Phyllis took more than a decade of piano lessons and aspired to a career as a classical pianist; that did not happen, but she played piano at the local and state pageants that culminated in her being crowned Miss America. For the talent portion of the competition, she played Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.

Phyllis was never happier than when she was surrounded by her family. Her children fondly called her "Hurricane Phyl" because she was a force of nature with an indomitable spirit and zest for life. She was quick with a joke, willing to share her wisdom, and always happy to give a hug. She quietly and courageously fought a rare blood disorder for 35 years, never acknowledging her pain to others, always taking on adversity with a "never say never" attitude and boundless optimism. If anyone tried to mention anything negative, she would immediately shut them down. That can-do spirit allowed Phyllis to defy the odds and live much longer than any doctor had ever expected.

Quotes from others about the person

• "Phyllis didn't receive nearly enough credit for opening the sports broadcasting door for the dozens of talented women who took her lead and soared." - Brent Musburger
  
  "She set an example for me of what it means to be a strong, confident woman who is sweet, kind, and thoughtful to others no matter who they are or what they did." - Pamela Brown

Connections

George was married twice. Her first marriage was with Robert Evans, a Hollywood producer, on December 12th, 1977. However, the couple ended their 8-month long marriage and divorced on July 22nd, 1978.

George's second marriage was to John Young Brown Jr., known for being a politician and "Kentucky Fried Chicken" owner, a multimillion-dollar restaurant chain. Phyllis had two children during her second marriage with Brown, Lincoln Tyler George Brown, who is a technology entrepreneur, and Pamela Ashley Brown, a CNN news reporter. However, George and Brown's marriage ended in divorce in 1998.

Father:

Robert George

Mother:

Diantha Louise (Cogdell) George

Ex-husband:

Robert Evans

Robert Evans was the feisty and flamboyant producer and studio chief who resurrected Paramount Pictures in the 1960s by squiring such classics as Rosemary's Baby, The Godfather, and Chinatown to the big screen.

Ex-husband:

John Young Brown Jr.

John Young Brown, Jr. is a politician, entrepreneur, and businessman from the United States state of Kentucky. He served as the 55th governor of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983, although he may be best known for building Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) into a multi-million dollar restaurant chain.

Son:

Lincoln Tyler George Brown

Lincoln Tyler George Brown is a technology entrepreneur.

Daughter:

Pamela Ashley Brown

Pamela Ashley Brown is an American television reporter and newscaster.

colleague:

Brent Musburger

Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster, currently the lead broadcaster and managing editor at Vegas Stats and Information Network and radio play-by-play voice for the Las Vegas Raiders.

collleague:

Bill Adler

Friend:

Walter Cronkite

Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll.