Robert Kurzman, of Kurzman & Eisenberg, White Plains, N.Y., called the O'Dwyer website March 14 to ask that the website cease any phone calls to Susan Garrett, who has power of attorney for the late Denny Griswold, or her husband, Russell Garrett.

The website made about four calls to the Garrett residence since learning on March 6 of the death of Griswold, leaving a message on the voice answering system. None of them was returned.

Denny Griswold at the Public Affairs Council's 30th anniversary gala in Washington, D.C., in 1985. She's chatting with the then Chief Justice of the United States, Warren Burger. With them is Mrs. Burger.

Kurzman said the O'Dwyer website has "no legal standing" in the matter and if there are any questions for Susan Garrett they should be addressed by relatives of Griswold's late husband, Langdon Sullivan, to Garrett.

Asked whether Griswold's will has been submitted to Probate Court in Norwalk, Conn., Kurzman said that because of a trust Griswold created the will may not have to go through Probate.

Asked about the 50 years or more of PR memorabilia and artifacts connected with the publishing of PR News, which Griswold owned for many years, Kurzman said that all papers are a matter of confidentiality within the family.

Wilton Meadows Owned by Transcon

Wilton Meadows Heathcare Center, Wilton, Conn., where Griswold resided from mid-1995 until her death, is owned by Transcon Builders, Cleveland, which also owns other healthcare facilities including The Greens at Cannondale in Wilton and Greenwich Woods Health Care Center, Greenwich, Conn. Calls were placed to Peter Rzepka, chairman, and Fred Rzepka, president, of Transcon.

Federal Law Mandates Access

Federal Law calls for the resident of a healthcare facility to have a "dignified existence, self-determination, and communication with and access to persons and services inside and outside the facility. A facility must protect and promote the rights of each resident..." it says.

Numerous friends of Griswold said they have been unable to contact her for years.

Sheila Kelley, a member of Women Executives in PR, of which Griswold was a co-founder in 1945, said that the group made "heroic" efforts to reach Griswold but failed at every turn.

Kelley said that Griswold's best friend in WEPR, the late Phyllis Berlowe (who died Feb. 9, 2000), was assigned to the task and "tried and tried and tried to reach Griswold by any and all means but finally gave up."

She said Berlowe finally talked to "a family member" but was unable to get through to Griswold herself.

Kelley, who also knew Griswold well, said friends were aware that she had a hearing problem but that she wore a hearing aid and had no trouble conducting a normal conversation.

"We never even had to raise our voices when speaking to Denny," said Kelley.

Griswold held in restraints

An "ombudsman" who visited Denny Griswold in the early afternoon of May 13, 1996, at the Wilton Meadows Healthcare Center, found her sleeping "in restraints."

She described Griswold as "an attractive, older woman" who "appeared to be alert and oriented."

Griswold told the ombudsman, who is not identified in the Norwalk, Conn., Probate Court papers, that she is able to walk with her walker for a short distance.

Asked about her hearing aid because Griswold had trouble hearing the ombudsman, she said it was at home but that it was defective. She asked the ombudsman for a new hearing aid.

Asked why she was in restraints, Griswold said she had fallen once when trying to get out of bed. She said she would prefer not to be in restraints.

Griswold also asked for visits by her stepdaughter, Margo Grosvenor, and her step-grandson, John. She also said she would like to get letters from them.

Papers in file at Norwalk Probate Court show that Susan Garrett, niece of Griswold, had power of attorney for Griswold.

A legal battle took place in 1996 in which Grosvenor tried to win conservator status for Griswold.

Griswold Ran Own Affairs

However, Griswold signed a paper on July 27, 1996 saying she wished to continue being in "full charge of my personal, financial, and health affairs" with assistance as provided for in a revocable living trust.

An agreement signed by Garrett and Grosvenor on July 9, 1996 provided that Garrett would not impose "any restrictions" on visits or letter-writing by the Grosvenor family (relatives of Langdon Sullivan, deceased husband of Griswold). Whether this agreement was ever lived up to is not known.

Grosvenor has complained that she has been unable to visit Griswold in recent years.

Numerous friends of Griswold said they have been unable to write to or visit her for about five years.

John Paulus, former senior VP of PR and PA at Allegheny International, said March 13 he was one of her best friends and constantly exchanged cards and letters with her until mid-1995 when the exchange suddenly stopped.

The Probate filings indicate that Griswold was mentally alert.

"She is considered to be at a very high functioning level," said the report of the ombudsman who spoke to the floor nurse and director of nurses at Wilton Meadows.

"They expressed some concern in regard to her being in restraints in bed as well as in a wheelchair," said the report, adding: "They were also concerned in regard to (Griswold) not getting a hearing aid."

The ombudsman noted that Griswold had not been told that her husband had died.

Another court paper, on the subject of hearing aids, said the "staff has a strict policy on handling the hearing aid to prevent misplacement of it."

When the ombudsman visited her again on May 23, 1996, Griswold told her, "You are the woman that visited me and talked to me about my rights."

Said the report: "Ombudsman did inform resident that her niece, Susan Garrett, does have power of attorney and she refuses to allow her stepdaughter and her stepgrandson to visit her as well as withholding her mail. Mrs. Sullivan (Griswold) stated she does not believe that her niece, Susan, would do that."

Griswold gave the ombudsman permission to provide Grosvenor and her son, John, with a report on the two conversations.

The ombudsman said she would consult with Garrett "in regard to allowing resident to see family members that she wishes as well as releasing all her mail."

Griswold Not Reachable

Numerous friends of Denny Griswold and the family of J. Langdon Sullivan, her husband, said they have not been able to contact her since around mid-1995.

Langdon Sullivan and Denny Griswold as they appeared around 1970.

Griswold died of a heart attack Feb. 7 in Norwalk hospital, Norwalk, Conn., after a one-day illness.

The death certificate said she died of an acute anterior myocardiac infarction. She would have been 93 March 24.

Ray Gaulke, former president of PR Society of America, said that a committee of three representing PRSA had several meetings with Griswold to discuss turning her four-story townhouse at 127 E. 80th st. into a memorial communications center.

Plans included a PR museum and a training center. A contract was drawn up providing that Griswold would live in the townhouse for the rest of her life.

Margot Grosvenor of Newport, R.I., stepdaughter of Griswold, said the Sullivan family approved of the gift of the townhouse to PR and also the gift of a number of Colonial antiques to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Grosvenor said the Sullivan family was deeply upset that it was not notified of the death of Griswold by Susan Garrett, the daughter of Griswold's brother, who has been in charge of Griswold since at least 1995. The antiques were in the Sullivan family many years.

The family dates to Colonial times. John Sullivan was a general in the Revolutionary Army and James Sullivan was governor of Massachusetts.

Griswold, the daughter of Frank and Rose Prager, was cremated Feb. 12 at Lakeview Cemetery, Bridgeport, Conn. The death certificate said the maiden name of Griswold's mother was "unobtainable."

Griswold's home address was given as the Wilton Meadows Healthcare Center, Wilton, Conn.

Burson, Budd & Gaulke Held Talks

The PRSA committee members were Gaulke, Harold Burson and John Budd. Gaulke said that Griswold suddenly "disappeared" and he never had contact with her again.

The Sullivan family gathered at the family cemetery in Durham, N.H. in the summer of 1996. Denny Griswold's husband, Langdon Sullivan, is buried there and Griswold's name is also on the gravestone, "as she had requested it," said a member of the Sullivan family. Instead, Griswold was cremated at a cemetery in Bridgeport, Conn.

A silver tray that had been created memorializing the proposed gift was never given to her. An attempt to deliver the tray to Wilton Meadows, where Griswold became a resident, was unsuccessful, he said.

Numerous other PR people said they were aware of the talks between PRSA and Griswold. New York PR pro Norma Lee said she was visiting with Griswold one day while two men from the Metropolitan Museum were present making a list of items that might be given to the Museum.

Terry Mayer of New York and Wes Pedersen of Washington, D.C., are among many PR pros who said they were unable to contact Griswold since 1995 either by phone or mail.

Some PR pros said they went to Wilton Meadows in an effort to see her but were turned away.

Niece Susan Garrett Took Charge

Griswold came under the care of Garrett and her husband, Russell Garrett, whose address is listed on the death certificate as 501 Westport ave., Norwalk, Conn.

Griswold resided at Wilton Meadows from 1995 until her death Feb. 7.

The local phone company, SNET, said no information was available on phones for either Susan or Russell Garrett. This is the complete absence of a listing rather than a simple "unlisted number," SNET said.

Attempts by the O'Dwyer website, the Sullivan family and friends of Griswold to reach the Garretts in recent days have been unsuccessful.

Russell Garrett told Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter in 1998 that Griswold was "fine physically" but was still recuperating from a broken hip.

A friend of Griswold who called Wilton Meadows at that time said he was told: "The family has asked that no messages go through to her without their approval."

Griswold told many friends she was thinking of donating her $3 million townhouse to the PR field and contracts were drawn up providing this.

Friends said Griswold appeared to be in normal mental health when they last talked to her in 1995.

The townhouse was sold several years ago for a reported $3.2 million.

It is not known what happened to the antiques or all of the papers connected with PR News, which Griswold edited for nearly 50 years.

Langdon Sullivan, who died in 1995 at the age of 92 after a long illness, is survived by two daughters, Diana S. Spenski of Virginia Beach, and Margot S. Grosvenor of Newport, R.I., and a son, James R.O. Sullivan, of Wellesley, Mass.; 12 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren.