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PEGGY CHARREN Obituary
(Walzer) 86, of Dedham, passed away Thursday January 22, 2015. Peggy was born March 9, 1928, in New York City, to Maxwell and Ruth Walzer. Peggy is survived by her husband, Stanley, of Dedham, her daughter Deborah Charren and her husband Timothy Diehl of Northampton, her daughter (Claudia) Sandi Moquin and her husband Kyle Moquin of Feeding Hills, her sister and brother-in-law Barbara and Rolf Korstvedt of Redondo Beach, California, her brother-in-law Burton Charren of Providence, Rhode Island, her grandchildren, Hannah and Zachary Charren-Diehl, Corey and Veronica Moquin and Matthew and Andrew Diehl and seven great-grandchildren.Peggy's family is deeply grateful to the staff at NewBridge on the Charles and Always Here Home Care for their dedicated caretaking, to Katelyn McNeil for her excellent nursing support, to Hebrew Senior Life Hospice workers for their care, and to Emily Saltz for her expert guidance during Peggy's journey through vascular dementia. Funeral services will be held Sunday, January 25th at 1:00PM, at Sugarman-Sinai Memorial Chapel, 458 Hope St, PROVIDENCE, RI with burial in Lincoln Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to WGBH-TV in Cambridge or the Clinton Global Initiative/Clinton Foundation at www.clintonfoundation.org. Shiva will be held at NewBridge on the Charles Monday 4-7PM and Tuesday 1:30PM-4:30PM and at the residence of Deborah Charren and Timothy Diehl Thursday 7-9PM. WGBH-TV will be hosting a celebration of Peggy's life in early March 2015. For information and condolences,
www.SugarmanSinai.com
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Memories and Condolences
for PEGGY CHARREN
Sponsored by anonymous.
December 2, 2015
Debbie, I am not able to respond to the messages you are sending. Please send me your email address so that we can be in touch!
Joanna Berk
December 1, 2015
Debbie, Sorry for not signing my earlier note in the Guest Book for your Mom. I tried to respond to your email but don't think you got it. Please get in touch; would love to catch up with you. And again, so sorry for your loss.
May 27, 2015
Debbie,
So sorry to hear about your mom. Many memories of fun times in your Newton and Vineyard houses during my teen years. Stuffing envelopes for ACT in the very early days. Volunteering at WGBH auction and for the original ZOOM. Peggy will be missed by many, and her memory lives on.
fran kaufman
February 23, 2015
Peggy meant a great deal to me. We met as colleagues, when I was newly at CTW and she was fighting the good fight on behalf of kids. What started as a professional relationship evolved quickly into a true friendship. I learned so much from Peggy, always felt her generous support and had more than a few great laughs with her. I send my love and my heartfelt sympathies to the family.
Fran Kaufman
Ann Fradkin-Hayslip
February 8, 2015
Deb,
Your mom was indeed respected by so many people. What I remember most however, was not so much her advocacy, but her being the gracious mother of my wonderful friend. I will always have fond memories of going to Newton and to the Vineyard during our Hampshire days. Thinking of you.
Ann Vincola Votta
January 31, 2015
Deepest condolences to the entire Charren family. As a child care professional in Boston during the 70s and 80s (and a Vineyarder), I was keenly aware of Peggy ' s influence and presence. I was in her company on several occasions and was grateful for her influence and inspiration. A tower of strength and a shining light. R.I.P.
SQuire Rushnell
January 31, 2015
As the head of ABC Children's Television, Peggy Charren was never an adversary, but a heroine, whom I grew to genuinely love and admire, and who had an indelible effect on the evolution of children's programming in the 70's and 80's.
Without the efforts of Action For Children's Television, such programs as ABC Schoolhouse Rock, the ABC Afterschool Specials, Kids Are People Too, or comparable programs on other networks, would never have existed.
In my first meeting with her in Boston, she appropriately charged that there were mostly commercials for "unhealthy" foods on children's television, and none for healthy foods. That made sense to me. We immediately developed a series of public service announcements for weekend mornings that "advertised" better eating habits: "I Hanker for a Hunk of Cheese" was one; another showed kids how to make their own fruit juice "Popsicles."
I'll miss her calling me "Pumpkin" (as I later learned she called anyone standing still) and describing things we could do together as "nifty."
In my book Peggy Charren represents a whole chapter.
SQuire Rushnell
Cecile Shmookler
January 28, 2015
Dear Debbie, How well I remember your mom from the days when we played at your house. I'm thinking of you, and cannot believe that we have reached the age of burying our parents. My love to you and your dad. May you be comforted among the remnant of mourners of Zion & Jerusalem, Cecile Korngold (Shmookler)
Michael Morgan
January 26, 2015
I worshiped her for decades. Her work inspired so many of us... I still talk about her amazing contributions in my courses. I can't remember exactly where it was, but I danced with her at a conference somewhere some years ago. It was the highlight of my professional career. My deepest condolences to her family and my deepest appreciations for what she gave us.
Kate McGrail
January 26, 2015
Our deepest condolences go to the Charren-Diehls. Although we never had the privilege of meeting Peggy, we heard many wonderful things about her through Peggy's granddaughter, Hannah and our daughter, Emily, who had the delightful privilege of getting to know Hannah's grandmother and grandfather. Warm wishes to the family on their loss.
barbara biggins
January 26, 2015
Peggy and her group ACT were an inspiration to us here in Australia. We were keen to change the face of Australian children's TV and Peggy was a role model. We met on several occasions over 30 years- most latterly at the World Summit on Media for Children in Melbourne in 1995. Peggy referred to me as her twin from the other side of the world- real compliment. Barbara Biggins, Australian Council on Children and the Media.
Arthur Greenwald
January 25, 2015
I first met Peggy when I interviewed her for a series on children's TV in the Yale Daily News. During that conversation I suggested that Action for Children's TV hold it's next symposium at Yale and she quickly agreed. As she liked to recount later, she was shocked and distressed to learn I was a mere freshman. But with Peggy as a mentor and collaborator, Yale quickly signed on to the project. Peggy was especially tickled that we arranged for Yale's Carillon to play a medley of kidvid theme songs. Nobody in the media who ever met Peggy has the slightest doubt of her importance to the advancement of children's media across all platforms. She and ACT stand apart from mere "pressure groups" for their unwavering advocacy of quality and diversity of children's programs without ever stooping to censorship or boycotts. As one network executive once confided, "Peggy makes me crazy but, God, you gotta love her!"
January 25, 2015
Peggy influences me still -- As her ED in the early years, she was focused and made us all feel her passion and commitment to changing the landscape of children's television. Yes, Peggy and ACT remain a case study on how to affect change without compromising values such as the First Amendment. Peggy was intelligent and culturally sophisticated-- and never took herself too seriously. Every day with her was a fun adventure. You knew things were good -- if she said it was "nifty" .
Our love to Stanley ( her Prince) - Debbie and Sandi and all who miss her.
Debbie and Bob First ( Weston MA )
Kay Barchas
January 24, 2015
To the Family of Peggy Charren,
I never knew you or your mother, but for many years I used materials she had developed for parents in teaching Introductory Sociology classes at a community college on the San Francisco Peninsula. Thousands of people, many with children already, were educated about how to evaluate and mediate children's tv programs. The reach of her ideas was way more varied in their impacts than anyone knows.
Thanks to her, my own children learned to analyze tv shows at very young ages.
May her memory be for a blessing,
Kay Barchas
[email protected]
Rhoda Gilinsky
January 24, 2015
My deepest condolences to Peggy's family. Peggy was my freshman roommate at Connecticut College, We were both rather scared newcomers and in later years when we re-connected, Peggy told me that she was afraid of me! We both laughed a lot about that and I could never figure out why this bright bubbly and often giggling girl could have been afraid of me. When we re-met years later Peggy was at the height of her successful involvement with Children Television and I was writing articles for a variety of publications and had many mutual interests and concerns. We met once or twice when she came to New York and it was always a great pleasure for me and I admired her greatly.Again my heartfelt condolences. Rhoda(Meltzer) Gilinsky
January 24, 2015
Bob and I and our kids ( Liz, Rich and Pam) remember Peggy and send love to her Prince Stanley, and her girls, Debbie and Sandi. As part of the ACT family in the early years, (I was ACT ED and then Board member) - the Charrens were family. Peggy's focus was on transforming children's TV - but it was her intellect, creativity and cultural sophistication that made ACT succeed in changing the rules and the climate in the network's programming to kids. Best was that Peggy never took herself too seriously. She made every day with her a fun adventure. She was so much more than her razor-sharp "sound bite!" Peggy was a renaissance woman whose legacy continues to inspire.
X Debbie and Bob First ( Weston, MA )
Sandy McDougall
January 24, 2015
HI Debbie- Back in summer 1976 on Martha's Vineyard with Tim Wise I remember being inspired by your stories of your mother and her work. I never forgot her - or you. And today I see in the Washington Post that she has passed. So sorry to hear. I hope we can get in touch when the time is right- Look me up (www.themaverickedge.com) ! I send deepest condolences to you and your family- your old friend, Sandy McDougall
Brian Wilcox
January 24, 2015
My condolences to Peggy's family. Peggy led an amazing life, and was a force to be reckoned with in Washington, DC. I learned more about child advocacy from hanging around with Peggy than I did from any of my courses or from other mentors along the way. She was fierce in her dedication to what was right for kids, and very smart in the way she put together coalitions to make things happen.
Peggy was one of a kind. She's been missed as an advocate and will be missed as a special person.
Scott Chamberland
January 24, 2015
Rest in Peace
Harold Burstyn
January 23, 2015
Heartfelt condolences. I met Peggy only once or twice when she lived next door to my parents on Garland Road in Newton. Only years later did I learn of her pathbreaking work at ACT.
David Kleeman
January 23, 2015
Such a remarkable life. Going to college in Boston, in the late 1970s, Peggy was one of my inspirations for going into children's media. Later, we clashed, we collaborated, we conversed...every opportunity an intellectual spark! I loved that Peggy knew when to say something was "nifty" as well as when to critique - because she knew what she wanted to see in children's media - not just what she didn't like - the industry respected her. One of my favorite memories is celebrating her 75th birthday at the US Embassy in London during the World Summit on Media for Children.
Myrna Dacey
January 23, 2015
So sorry my love is with you.
Sue Edelman
January 23, 2015
I will miss Peggy so much. She was not just my boss (for six years at Action for Children's Television), but also a mentor, a friend and a role model. She taught me how the world works, about the media, advocacy, public relations and fairness. Her impact on me is surpassed only by her impact on the world. Much love to Stanley and the rest of the family. - Sue Edelman
Ruth Weinberg Abrahams
January 23, 2015
A towering figure in my life. Love to Debbie and family and Sandi and family. So many memories, so many years. Peggy was a dynamo. I loved her.
Elizabeth Newbern
January 22, 2015
Peggy, your advocacy for children impacted me as a child (ZOOM!) and then continued to impact my own children (Arthur, Carmen SanDiego.) I know you were a highly honored pioneer in your efforts for all children. You also maintained a fully fun and child centered home. It was my privilege to have spent time there and to know this. You will certainly not be forgotten. May you rest in peace and your loving family feel comfort in your life and legacy.
Jeff & Joanne Lambert
January 22, 2015
Our deepest sympathy & love. Jeff & Joanne
sandi moquin
January 22, 2015
rest in peace mom, we all love and adore you!
Love Kyle, Sandi, Corey and Vernonica
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