'Dear Abby' acknowledges daughter as co-writer

BEVERLY HILLS, California (CNN) -- Columnist Pauline Phillips, better known as Abigail Van Buren to dedicated readers of Dear Abby, penned a letter of her own for her syndicated column Saturday, acknowledging that her daughter has served as her co-creator "practically since the inception" of the column.

Phillips said under her "strict supervision," her daughter Jeanne Phillips earned her allowance as a teen-ager by answering mail from other teens.

Through the years, Phillips said her daughter has worked by her side, co-writing more than half of the nationally syndicated radio shows aired over the course of 12 years on the CBS network.

"As a mother who has every confidence in her daughter, I feel it's time she receives the recognition she deserves as my co-creator," Phillips wrote in the column.

Phillips made it clear in her letter that she has no intention of retiring, just yet. "I will continue to work on this column until my maker calls me home."

A photograph of the mother and daughter, with a remarkable resemblance, took the place of the usual photo of Phillips at the top of the column.

"We will both continue to co-create Dear Abby using the pseudonym Abigail Van Buren," she wrote.

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Universal Press Syndicate: Dear Abby

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