H A R RY B E N S O N
IT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY
This spread: Joan Ganz Cooney and Peter Peterson, laughing with their dog at their Long Island summer home, 1993.
LITERALLY MILLIONS and millions of preschool-age children have sat glued to their television sets learning the alphabet and how to count while watching Big Bird, Elmo, and Oscar the Grouch, and at the same time giving their parents time for a cup of tea. Sesame Street premiered on PBS on November 10, 1969, and revolutionized the way children learn. At the forefront of education and still going strong, an autistic Muppet named Julia was introduced this year. Joan Ganz Cooney was the amazing force behind the program, which has won an incredible 167 Emmy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Emmy. Ms. Cooney remained at the forefront of the program until 1990. In 1980, Ms. Cooney married the former U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Nixon, Peter G. Peterson. They met when he was on the board of National Educational Television and she was making a presentation of Sesame Street. Peterson, as former Chairman and CEO of Lehman Brothers and co-founder of the Blackstone Group, rivals the accomplishments of his wife. Together their achievements boggle the mind. They are the ultimate power couple. â—† J U LY 2 0 1 7 4 9