2002 – New York City
Phyllis George has been called many admirable things in her very distinguished and eclectic career… First Lady of Sports… First Lady of Kentucky… First Lady of Crafts… even First Lady of Chicken. She came into the spotlight when she was crowned the 50th Miss America in 1971. She has since gone on to unprecedented success in many different fields. Phyllis became the first female sportscaster in America, co-anchoring the NFL Today Show. She interviewed some of the greatest sports figures in the world and co-hosted three Super Bowl broadcasts and six Rose Bowl parades. She was also the first female co-host of Candid Camera. In 1985, she became the co-anchor of the CBS Morning News and later created and hosted her own prime-time show called “Spotlight with Phyllis George” where she interviewed high profile people in all walks of life. As First Lady of Kentucky in the 1980s, her passionate interest in handcrafts and the arts led Phyllis to establish the Kentucky Art & Craft Foundation and to the restoration of the once condemned Governor’s Mansion in Frankfort. The results of her efforts were featured in Architectural Digest. In the 90s she created “American Crafts with Phyllis George” on QVC, which has generated 20 million in sales for American craftsmen. Most recently, she has produced an exhibition of 42 works titled “Kentucky Folk Artists Celebrate the Great American Spirit”, reflecting artists’ response to the 9/11 tragedies. Phyllis scored another first when she founded her own chicken company, Chicken by George (now a division of Hormel). Phyllis has been named by Meat, Marketing & Technology magazine as a “Top Ten” industry spokesperson of all time, along with Jimmy Dean, Dave Thomas… and Ronald McDonald! She’s also been cited as one of the “Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World”. A national spokesperson and sponsor for Save the Children, Phyllis is also an actor (“Meet the Parents” starring Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro—with a sequel in the works), and author.
