Pat's Obituary

Patricia Herold Nielsen

(1948-2008)

Writer, Director, Producer and Conservationist

Patricia Herold Nielsen, an Emmy Award-winning television writer, director and producer, and a dedicated environmental advocate on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, died on February 28, at her home in Brooklyn, New York. She was 59.

Pat Herold was elected twice to the Board of Directors of New York Women in Film and Television, serving a term as its President from 1988 to 1989. Her work in television included "Molly O'Neill’s New York" which she wrote and directed for WNET, "Martha Stewart's Welcome Home for the Holidays," written for CBS, and the “Big Breakdance Contest” for which she won an Emmy Award for producing in 1983. Her incisive interviewing skills informed stories ranging from Israeli diplomat Abba Eban to graffiti artist Futura2000.

Born in Ohio and raised in Westfield, New Jersey, she graduated in 1970 from Emmanuel College in Boston where she studied English literature. She began her broadcasting career at WBUR-FM in Boston where she was an associate producer of a radio drama produced by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She later joined the Peabody Award-winning documentary unit at WCVB-TV, Boston’s ABC affiliate, where she met her husband, Ed Nielsen.

In New York, Ms. Herold produced syndicated news at Newsweek Broadcasting, as well as a magazine series, program segments, and specials for WABC-TV, Lifetime Television, and The Today Show. In 1992 she wrote Today at Night, an NBC special with Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel celebrating the return of Today to its sidewalk studios. She produced and directed many image campaigns for WNET, including Thirteen Stories, award-winning long-form spots. For the Radio and Television News Director’s Foundation, Ms. Herold created and produced Excellence in Journalism, a six-part series of one-hour specials designed to help broadcast journalists hone their reporting skills. She was a member of both the Directors Guild and the Writers Guild of America.

In Maryland, where she was known by her married name, Pat Nielsen, she worked to advance the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries as a founding member of the Chester River Association (CRA). She served for more than two decades on its Board of Directors and was its President from 1990-1993. CRA is regarded as among the most effective river associations across the 64,000 square-mile Chesapeake Bay watershed. She was also the creator and a frequent contributing writer to Currents, the CRA annual journal.

Nielsen also served as communications advisor for the Baywide Chesapeake Bay Commission, a legislative policy leader in the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay representing Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. In this role, and as a writer and editor, she helped transform the clarity and effectiveness of the Commission’s publications. She was twice recognized as one of the top conservation leaders in the mid-Atlantic region. In 2000, she received the Ellen Fraites Wagner Award, presented by the Chesapeake Bay Trust to a Maryland citizen who has tirelessly worked to preserve and protect the Chesapeake Bay. In 2002, she was honored with the White Sneaker Award, one of the Governor of Maryland's most prestigious conservation awards, for her outstanding contributions to water quality and habitat in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Pat Herold Nielsen illuminated and enriched the lives of her family, friends, and colleagues across the Eastern Seaboard with her passion, wit and grace. During a 10-year battle with cancer she never stopped bringing together people to work and play, including producing a Chester River Festival from a hospital bed, or a block party in her beloved Park Slope neighborhood while undergoing radiation treatments. Her life force was inspiring and all who knew her treasured her enthusiasm and love.

She is survived by her husband, Edward, her sons Matthew and Judd, her mother, Dorothy Herold, her sister, Betsy Herold, and brother, Tony Herold. Memorial services will be held in Brooklyn at the Duffy Funeral Home on 59h street and 4^th Avenue on Thursday, March 6^th ; beginning with a viewing from 11:00-1:00, followed by a memorial service at 1:30 P.M. She will also be honored in Centreville, Maryland at St. Paul’s Church, in Centreville at 4:00 P.M on March 13^th , followed by a gathering at the family’s Corsica Farm. A larger celebration will be held on March 29^th in Manhattan.