Pauline Phillips is someone you may not have known about but Dear Abby is someone we all knew and knew well. Phillips created the pseudonym when she came up with the advice column Dear Abby which has been a part of the American news paper landscape for over 56 years with a space in 1400 papers as well as a readership of 110 million strong. Dear Abby was all about simple answers to complex problems.
The column was like having a therapist for the price of a stamp. Often times the answers that people sought out were the answers that were best provided by a clear mind with enough common sense and practicality to step back and examine a situation carefully. Out of the black and white era known as the 1950's Dear Abby was the only component that evolved without losing class.
Dear Abby progressed from giving advice about the pot roast to advice about following your beliefs, sex, aids, family and so much more. While the column remains the original article now goes on to a place known as certain immortality. The person, Pauline Phillips, goes on to a pantheon of greatness that is dictated by what she did for others rather than for herself.
Pauline Phillips had Alzheimer's desease which eventually forced her retirement. Phillips was the likely donor of 10 million dollars to the Mayo clinic specifically for the purpose of Alzheimer's research. The fact is that Phillips stayed behind Dear Abby choosing to provide others with advice and attempting to make a difference in the lives she touched rather than trying to gain a measure of glory for herself.
Dear Abby:
Thank you for the memories, go peacefully on your new journey and worry not as what you did here shall stand the test of time.
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