MONROE — Phyllis Kornicker, who was a resident of The Ponds adult community in Monroe, has bequeathed $500,000 to the Center for American Women and Politics to encourage women to run for political office.
Ms. Kornicker’s donation will aid women in 13 states who will learn how to get elected with the help of Ready to Run programs created by the CAWP, a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.
Ms. Kornicker, a retired businesswoman and civic leader in Monroe and beyond, died last year at 82. Her gift was intended to “encourage women to become actively involved in the political life of America.”
”Never content with the status quo, Phyllis believed in women’s potential to build a better future and strengthen our democracy,” recalled CAWP Director Debbie Walsh. “We are honored that she entrusted us with her dream of spurring more women to seek political leadership.”
The New Jersey Ready to Run model is being replicated across the country via a national training network with each state observing the New Jersey program, then developing a version that fits local political culture and features homegrown officeholders and campaign experts.
New programs are either under way or coming soon in Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania with Pennsylvania and New Mexico each creating two separate programs serving different parts of the state.
The Michigan, Mississippi and New Mexico programs are supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which reaches out to children by sponsoring dialogue in local communities, lending support to community-based organizations and investing in institutes that support vulnerable communities, reads the foundation’s website, www.wkkf.org.
Ready to Run programs are rooted in Alabama, Hawaii, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Vermont.
In addition to Ready to Run, Ms. Kornicker’s donation will support a variety of CAWP education and outreach programs aimed at channeling more women into politics and public leadership. Also benefiting is The 2012 Project, CAWP’s national nonpartisan campaign designed to urge women to take advantage of the once-a-decade opportunities created by redistricting in the 2012 elections.
Ms. Kornicker was born in 1927 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and raised in New York City where she graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School. Married for almost 50 years to Maxwell Kornicker, she worked in the New York jewelry trade, first in sales and then in accounting. Later she joined Ceramco Inc., a dental porcelain company in Long Island City, where she became accounts payable and credit manager.
The couple relocated to East Windsor in the early 1970s when Ceramco was purchased by Johnson & Johnson Dental Products Company, and Ms. Kornicker became the credit and receivables manager for both companies. She retired from Johnson & Johnson after 23 years of service.
After her husband died in 1994, she moved to The Ponds in Monroe.
Ms. Kornicker’s political interest began when she volunteered for the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy and continued unabated throughout the rest of her life. She also was involved for many years in women’s organizations, serving twice as worthy matron in the Order of the Eastern Star on Long Island.
While living in Monroe, she served as president of the Princeton Chapter of Business & Professional Women of New Jersey and regional president for the New Jersey-Brandeis National Committee, receiving a national President’s Commendation from Brandeis University’s president.
She was also a founding member and president of The Ponds Chapter of The Brandeis National Committee.
The Brandeis National Committee provides philanthropic support to Brandeis University, a liberal arts and research university in Waltham, Massachusetts.
She chaired special events for the Monroe Township League of Women Voters and was active in East Windsor Hadassah, receiving the organization’s Member of the Year, Woman of Valor Award and the National Leadership Award. She also was a member of the Monroe Township Democratic Party.
”Phyllis’ spirit will inspire us as we extend our programs across the country,” said Ruth B. Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics. “We miss her vibrant presence at public programs. Phyllis could always be counted on to speak her mind and ask thought-provoking questions.”
”It was a treat to have Phyllis engaged in our programs for several years,” recalled Kathy Kleeman, Eagleton’s senior communications officer, who introduced Ms. Kornicker to the center’s work while delivering a speech at The Ponds. “She rarely missed the opportunity to connect with students at the NEW Leadership keynote event or mingle with candidates at Ready to Run.”
Ms. Kornicker’s friend, Christine Cook of The Ponds, remembers her as someone who “lit up a room with her sharp wit, enthusiasm for learning and zest for life.”
Friends recall her as the embodiment of the active senior, whether enjoying a trip to the theater, organizing a book club or engaging in a heated political discussion at a CAWP event.
CAWP, a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, is nationally recognized as a source of scholarly research and data about American women’s political participation. Its mission is to promote greater knowledge and understanding about women’s participation in politics and government and to enhance women’s influence and leadership in public life.
To learn more about CAWP and Ms. Kornicker, visit www.cawp.rutgers.edu.
