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Association of Educational Publishers Inducts
Three into Hall of Fame
December 20, 2004
Joan Ganz Cooney, Joan Irwin, Tom Snyder
Receive Highest Individual Honor That AEP Bestows
New York—On December 2, 2004,
more than 200 individuals from the educational publishing industry
joined together in New York City at the Waldorf=Astoria to celebrate
the induction of three of the industry’s finest luminaries
into the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) Hall of Fame.
Joan Ganz Cooney, co-founder of Sesame Workshop; Joan Irwin, global
literacy champion; and Tom Snyder, an innovator in computer and
video-based educational programming, were all honored with the highest
individual award that the AEP bestows.
“The AEP Hall of Fame is reserved for superstars
who have advanced the educational publishing field over their careers
in ways that are truly revolutionary in nature,” said Charlene
Gaynor, AEP Executive Director. “Not only do today’s
inductees more than meet that criteria, they are also stellar role
models for their colleagues.”
Joan Ganz Cooney is co-founder of the Children’s
Television Workshop (renamed Sesame Workshop in June 2000), which
originated the landmark preschool educational series, Sesame
Street. She served as President and Chief Executive Officer
until 1990 and currently is Chairman of the Executive Committee
of the Sesame Workshop’s Board of Trustees.
During Mrs. Cooney’s induction, presenter Sherrie
Westin, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Education and
Development for Sesame Workshop, spoke of Mrs. Cooney’s contributions
not only to television, but also to education around the globe.
Now in its remarkable 35th season, Sesame Street has been
seen by millions of children in more than 140 foreign countries.
Indigenous co-productions reflecting local languages, customs, and
educational needs have been produced for audiences in the Arab world,
Israel, Portugal, Turkey, Germany, France, Poland, Norway, Sweden,
Holland, Russia, China, South Africa, Egypt, the Philippines, Canada,
Spain, and Spanish-speaking Latin America.
Throughout her tenure in the field of educational
publishing, Joan Irwin has earned a reputation for sustained excellence
and a deep respect from employees, colleagues, and peers in the
educational publishing industry. From her roots as a teacher to
Director of Publications at the International Reading Association
(IRA) to her
current position as Vice President of Professional Development for
Peoples Publishing Group, Ms. Irwin championed literacy. Her three
presenters—John Micklos, Jr., Editor-in-Chief of Reading
Today for the IRA; Wendy Lapham; and Jim Peoples, Chairman
of Peoples Publishing Group—testified to her devotion to reading
education and giving teachers the proper tools to accomplish their
literacy goals.
When she took over the position of Director of Publications at
the International Reading Association in 1991, the organization’s
main products were scholarly journals, written and read primarily
by college professors. Ms. Irwin looked at the IRA membership, comprised
chiefly of primary and secondary school teachers, and noticed immediately
that the IRA was overlooking the most basic laws of supply and demand.
That year, she announced that the publications division would release
20 new professional development titles. She also expanded the program
to include publications from affiliates in Australia, Asia, Europe,
and Africa.
Inventor. No better word encompasses both the professional career
and lifelong philosophy of the final inductee Tom Snyder. As co-founder
and former chairman of Tom Snyder Productions (TSP), Mr. Snyder’s
accomplishments in the field reflect his endless curiosity and his
dedication to the betterment of classroom education.
Henry Olds, Jr., currently with The JASON Foundation for Education
but formerly of TSP, recalled Mr. Snyder’s passion and determination
to create products that didn’t try to replace teachers but
helped them open a dialogue with students. Mr. Snyder designed numerous
award-winning software products including TimeLiner; Fizz
& Martina’s Math Adventures; Geography Search;
and Decisions, which won the prestigious Codie Award for
excellence in technology in 1997. He was also the co-creator and
executive producer of the TV hits Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist
and Squigglevision [formerly Science Court].
Every year, the Educational Publishing Hall of Fame recognizes
extraordinary individual achievement, professional accomplishments,
and a lifetime commitment to the industry. Inductees are nominated
by AEP members and chosen by the AEP Board of Directors.
About AEP
AEP, a national, nonprofit organization, represents, supports and
promotes the publishers of supplemental educational resources, key
tools for reading and learning at school and at home. Its membership
includes the giants of the supplemental education industry, and
spans the gamut from magazines to television channels, books to
interactive computer software and CDs. Please visit www.AEPweb.org
for more information.
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