Phyllis Kaniss (right) with Academy board member Julia Adams.
The American Academy of Political and Social Science mourns the untimely passing of Executive Director Phyllis Kaniss on December 17, 2010. Phyllis was admired and loved by all who knew her. In many ways, she was the heart and soul of the Academy, the person with whom fellows and board members interacted most frequently. She was always bubbling with enthusiasm and energy and was instrumental in repositioning the Academy for the digital age and as the steward of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize. Through her vision and effort, the Academy grew in stature and visibility and her personal touch will be deeply missed by everyone associated with the Academy. The Officers and Board of the AAPSS extend their deepest sympathy to her husband Paul Wheeling and her sons Josh and Max. Please know that Phyllis meant the world to us as well.
Dr. Kaniss’s obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer chronicles her career as a researcher, a teacher, a mentor, and a friend to many. Please click here to read the full article. For those who would like to share their memories of Phyllis with the community at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and their condolences for her family, please click here.
The family kindly requests that donations in memory of Phyllis support an undergraduate scholarship for a student interested in journalism at the University of Pennsylvania. Please note that your gift is in memory of Dr. Phyllis C. Kaniss. Donations may be sent to the University of Pennsylvania, Undergraduate Financial Aid Development, 3451 Walnut St., 634B Franklin Bldg., Phila., PA 19104, or submitted online at www.upenn.edu/gifts/.
