A relatively small group of people gathered in the capitol rotunda in Frankfort yesterday afternoon to hear about Phyllis George Brown who died earlier this month. She was well known for being 1971 Miss America, first lady of Kentucky, and a sports broadcasting pioneer.
At the remembrance, Brown’s children Pamela and Lincoln painted a picture of a mother with a deep sense of caring demonstrated to all those around her. “Most recognized my mom by what they saw on the outside, but we grew up after her career and let me tell you, what lived within Phyllis Ann George, who she really is, far outshines her career,” said Lincoln Brown.
Pamela Brown said her mother was a magnet FOR people, but that she also got her energy FROM people. The CNN reporter told those in the socially distanced group in the rotunda that her mother was tenacious. “Just six weeks ago as she felt her body failing her, she said to me Pam, you know I’ve always been a strong woman. And I said back to her, I know mom, I know you are. I believe her body’s weaknesses though made her spirit even stronger. And that spirit lives on,” said Pamela Brown.
Phyllis George Brown died May 14 in Lexington after a decades-long battle with a blood disorder. She was 70.
