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Sharon Percy Rockefeller

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American politician (born 1944)
Sharon Percy Rockefeller
Rockefeller in 2019
First Lady of West Virginia
In role
January 17, 1977 – January 14, 1985
GovernorJay Rockefeller
Preceded byShelley Riley Moore
Succeeded byShelley Riley Moore
Personal details
BornSharon Lee Percy
(1944-12-10) December 10, 1944 (age 80)
Oakland, California, U.S.
Spouse John Davison Rockefeller IV ​ ​(m. 1967)​
ChildrenJohn Davison Rockefeller V
Valerie Rockefeller
Charles Rockefeller
Justin Aldrich Rockefeller
Parent(s)Charles Harting Percy
Jeanne Valerie Dickerson
OccupationChief executive officer of WETA-TV

Sharon Lee Percy Rockefeller (born December 10, 1944) is married to former West Virginia Senator John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV and served as that state's First Lady from 1977 to 1985 during her husband’s terms as governor.

Life

Rockefeller was born in Oakland, California, on December 10, 1944, a twin daughter of Senator Charles Harting Percy (1919—2011) and Jeanne Valerie Dickerson, who died in 1947. She earned a Bachelor's degree at Stanford University and later studied at Morris Harvey College and West Virginia Wesleyan College. Her twin sister Valerie was murdered in 1966 at the family home by a mysterious intruder.

In 1967, she married John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV (born 1937). He is the son of John Davison Rockefeller III (1906—1978) and Blanchette Ferry Hooker (1909—1992) and is part of the famous Rockefeller family. She and her husband have four children and seven grandchildren.

In 2005, she was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Her cancer has since metastasized in the bones. Her experience prompted her to convince filmmaker Ken Burns to produce the 2015 documentary Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies. It is adapted from the book of the same name by Siddhartha Mukherjee.

On November 21, 2019, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts by then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Rockefellers live in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, DC and retain a permanent residence in Charleston, West Virginia.

Career

As First Lady of West Virginia, Rockefeller promoted the Public Broadcasting Service; helped establish a centralized system to assist mentally disabled children; and founded Mountain Artisans, a quilting business for low-income artisans. She also campaigned to bring down utility costs and to improve care for the elderly.

After her husband was elected to the United States Senate in 1985, she became chief executive officer of WETA-TV in Washington, D.C. She later became chairwoman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

She is a former member of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group. She has also been the chairperson of the National Gallery of Art.

References

  1. McCoppin, Robert; Wall, Glenn (June 14, 2011). "Newly disclosed account surfaces in 1966 Valerie Percy murder case". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  2. "WETA's Percy Rockefeller Diagnosed With Cancer". 26 July 2005. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  3. Watch now: Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  4. "Dome - Diagnosis Inspires Documentary". Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  5. "President Donald J. Trump to Award the National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved November 21, 2019 – via National Archives.
  6. "West Virginia's First Ladies," West Virginia Division of Culture and History, June 2007.
  7. (14 Sep 2008), "Sharon Percy Rockefeller", WETA website (archived 25 Jan 2021): " . . . a member of the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for 12 years, including four years as chairman."
  8. "Former Steering Committee Members". bilderbergmeetings.org. Bilderberg Group. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  9. Selvin, Claire (2019-09-27). "National Gallery of Art Names Darren Walker Trustee, Mitchell Rales Appointed President". ARTnews. Retrieved 2019-09-28.

External links

Honorary titles
Preceded byShelley Riley Moore First Lady of West Virginia
1977 – 1985 		Succeeded byShelley Riley Moore
National Medal of Arts recipients 2010s & 2020s
2010
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2015
2019
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