 Malin
Jennings, public relations executive, former television
journalist, and Arctic researcher and advocate for the peoples
there impacted by global climate change, died on November 28, in
Arlington, Virginia, from complications from breast cancer. She
was 57.
Jennings came to Washington, D.C. after working as a television
journalist in Alaska, where she worked for KTVF-TV in Fairbanks
from 1978 to 1981, KTOO-TV in Juneau in 1981 and at KAKM-TV and
KTUU-TV in Anchorage from 1982 to 1985.
A six-part documentary series she produced in 1982 received the
Public Service Award, the highest journalism honor bestowed in
the state. It was in the 49th state that she developed what
would become a life-long love for the Arctic.
Moving to Washington, D.C. in 1985, she served for two years as
press secretary to the late Senator Ted Stevens, followed by
four years as a national television news correspondent for the
now defunct CONUS News Service, covering the White House,
Congress, and national stories such as the Iran-Contra trial for
125 local stations around the U.S.
Jennings later worked for the international public relations
firm of Fleishman-Hillard for 13 years, specializing in
communications of financial services firms, where she won a
Silver Anvil, the public relations industry's highest honor,
among many other awards.
In addition, Jennings taught communications at Johns Hopkins
University.
In 2006, Jennings created the Arctic ICCE Project: Inuit Climate
Change Ethnographies, which documented the impact of climate
change on the people, culture and environment on the earth's two
northernmost communities, Siorapaluk and Qaanaaq, Greenland.
Through her research, Jennings became an active advocate for
Greenlanders hit hard by Arctic warming, giving speeches at the
World Bank, the World Wildlife Fund in Tokyo, and the 2009 COP
15 Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen.
Jennings is survived by her husband Jeffrey Telgarsky;
step-daughter Vivian; two step-sons from a previous marriage,
Derek (Jennifer) and Jamie Weitzel; sisters, Sara Jennings
Spittel (Rob) and Heidi Jennings Fowler (Jim) and a brother,
Ethan (Amy), as well as nine nieces and nephews. One niece and
one nephew are the children of her late brother Jonathan. She
had three step-grandchildren.
Services will be held on December 14 at Joseph Gawler's Sons in
Washington, D.C., with interment following at the Historic
Congressional Cemetery. |
