ANN HARRIS

HARRIS--Ann Schakne, Died on Sunday, June 1, at age 99 years in New York City. She was legendary in the book publishing industry as an editor for Rinehart & Company, Harper & Brothers, Harper & Row, Bantam Dell and Random House, retiring after a career that spanned more than 60 years. She was a fierce and meticulous editor, shaping novels "The Exorcist" (by William Peter Blatty), "The Thorn Birds" (Colleen McCullough), memoirs by Betty Ford and Dmitri Shostakovich, and non-fiction books "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking, and "The Book of Bread" by Evan Jones. Two of her books won Pulitzer Prizes: "Why Survive?: Being Old in America" (Robert Butler), and "Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation" (Dan Fagin). She was born in New York to Harry and Alice Schakne on September 22, 1925 and attended Julia Richman High School, Hunter College and Radcliffe College. She was predeceased by her husband Cyril M. Harris, and her brother Robert Schakne. She is survived by her children Katherine Harris of Seattle, Washington and Nicholas Harris and daughter-in-law Donna of Edmonton, Canada, niece Miye Schakne, and grandchildren Vanessa, Miles, and David. Donations in her name can be made to Planned Parenthood Federation of America.