Notable people · Educator · Television · Women
Frances Horwich
Born in Ottawa, Ohio, Horwich became 'Miss Frances' on Ding Dong School, a preschool television program that began in Chicago in 1952 and went national on NBC in 1953. Educators and critics praised its child's-eye approach.
At a glance
- Born
- 1907-07-16
- Died
- 2001-07-22
- Education
- University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, to 1929, S.B.
- Columbia University, New York, NY, to 1933, M.Ed.
- Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, to 1942, Ed.D.
- Known as
- Educator, Television, Women
- Organizations
- NBC, WNBQ
Life story
Frances Rappaport was born in Ottawa in 1907, the youngest child of a general-store owner and his wife. Four of her siblings went into medicine or health care. She studied at the University of Chicago, Columbia and Northwestern, where she earned her doctorate in 1942.
She taught first grade, directed a junior kindergarten and led teacher training and school programs before heading the education department at Roosevelt College in Chicago.
In October 1952, Chicago's WNBQ put her on the air as Miss Frances in Ding Dong School, built around a child's-eye view and simple props. NBC took it national in March 1953 and about 2.4 million people watched each day. She kept the right to refuse sponsors, and when NBC cancelled the show in 1956 she bought it back and syndicated it into the 1960s.
She later led children's programming in Chicago, moved to Arizona in 1973 and died in Scottsdale in 2001.
Timeline
- 1907-07-16: Born (Ottawa, OH) source
- 1929: Bachelor's degree, University of Chicago (Chicago, IL) source
- 1931-07-11: Marries Harvey Horwich source
- 1942: Doctorate, Northwestern (Evanston, IL) source
- 1952-10-02: Ding Dong School first broadcast (Chicago, IL) source
- 1953-03: Show goes national on NBC source
- 1956: NBC cancels show source
- 1958-08: Show returns through WGN-TV syndication (Chicago, IL) source
- 2001-07-22: Dies (Scottsdale, AZ) source
What Frances is known for
- Host of Ding Dong School
- George Foster Peabody Award, 1952
- Ding Dong School
- The Baby Chipmunk; My Goldfish; Miss Frances' All-Day-Long Book (1953-56)
Honors and things named for them
- George Foster Peabody Award, 1952
- Associated Press Woman of the Year in Education, 1953
- Ohio historical marker in Ottawa, 2006
Family
- husband: Harvey Horwich
Places in Ohio to see
- Frances Rappaport Horwich marker (marker)
Ottawa, Putnam County ZIP 45875 (approximate) · Ottawa · Putnam County · official page
Ohio places
Where Frances Horwich was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Ottawa, Putnam County ZIP 45875 · Ottawa · Putnam County
- Worked: Chicago, Cook County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Frances Horwich dates, education, career, Ding Dong School, honors, marker