Ann Landers, 1961

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Ann Landers

Esther "Eppie" Pauline Friedman Lederer (July 4, 1918 – June 22, 2002) and Ruth Crowley were the main writers behind the public image of Ann Landers because of their popular syndicated advice column, "Ann Landers." For about 45 years, the column was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America. People would write her letters to seek her advice concerning their personal problems, and she would publish her advice in her columns. Her writing style was direct, and often critical. She would often upbraid a letter-writer with the quip, "Watch it, bub!" Her stated opinions often seemed customized to appeal to her predominantly female readership. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2168x2800, 458 KB) (Note: high resolution version not linked from LoC description page, but found at http://memory. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2168x2800, 458 KB) (Note: high resolution version not linked from LoC description page, but found at http://memory. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Print Syndication is a form of syndication in which news articles, columns, or comic strips are made available to newspapers and magazines. ... It has been suggested that Agony aunt be merged into this article or section. ...

The "Ann Landers" column

The original "Ann Landers" was Ruth Crowley, a Chicago nurse who wrote the syndicated column for 26 newspapers from 1942 until her death (at age 48) on July 20, 1955. Eppie won a contest to become the new writer of the column, debuting on October 16, 1955. The column opened with a letter from a "Non-Eligible Bachelor", who despaired of getting married. Her advice was "You're a big boy now... don't let spite ruin your life." ^[1]. Lederer went on to advise thousands of other readers over the next several decades. Eventually, she became owner of the copyright. She chose not to have a different writer continue the column after her death; so the "Ann Landers" column ceased after publication of the few weeks' worth of material which she had written before her death. ^[2] Not to be confused with copywriting. ...

Eppie sometimes expressed unpopular opinions in her column, e.g. she repeatedly favored legalization of prostitution and was pro-choice, yet denounced Madalyn O'Hair.^[3] Whore redirects here. ... Issues of discussion Pro-choice describes the political and ethical view that a woman should have complete control over her fertility and pregnancy. ...

After Eppie's death, the longtime editors of the "Ann Landers" column, Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, started writing the "Annie's Mailbox" column.

Biography

Eppie had an identical twin sister, Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips ("Popo"), who was 17 minutes younger than Eppie. The twins were daughters of Russian Jewish emigrants, and grew up in Sioux City, Iowa. Both sisters were alumnae of Morningside College, and both wrote for the college's newspaper. They were then fond of each other, and at their age 21 in 1939, they had a joint wedding ceremony. Fraternal twin boys in the tub The term twin most notably refers to two individuals (or one of two individuals) who have shared the same uterus (womb) and usually, but not necessarily, born on the same day. ... Pauline Phillips (born July 4, 1918 as Pauline Esther Friedman) founded Dear Abby in 1956. ... Sioux City (IPA: ) is a city located in northwest Iowa in the United States. ... Morningside College is a liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church in Sioux City, Iowa. ...

Eppie was married to Julius Lederer, a business executive. For many years, the Lederers' home was in Chicago, where they owned a large, well-furnished apartment. Eppie often said that she exercised regularly by walking the length of her apartment several times a day. Julius Lederer was an American business executive and innovator. ... For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation). ...

In March 1940, she gave birth to her first and only child, Margo. In 1944, Eppie's mother, Rebecca Friedman, died of cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 56. Julius had been conscripted for the war then, and Eppie and Margo had been living with Eppie's parents.

Julius and Eppie divorced in 1975. In her column of July 1, 1975, Eppie wrote, "The sad, incredible fact is, that after 36 years of marriage, Julius and I are being divorced." She received 30,000 sympathetic letters in response.^[4]

While Eppie wrote the "Ann Landers" column, her twin sister wrote a similar personal advice column, "Dear Abby", under the name, Abigail Van Buren. Dear Abby Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame memorializing the Dear Abby radio show Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips (born July 4, 1918) started writing the Dear Abby syndicated personal advice column in 1956 under the pen name, Abigail Van Buren. ... Abigail Van Buren is a pseudonym or pen name used by the writers of the Dear Abby column, Pauline Phillips (born July 4, 1918) and her successor, her daughter Jeanne Phillips. ...

As competing columnists, the two sisters had a discordant relationship. They publicly reconciled in 1964, but acrimony between them persisted. ^[5] Just a few years before Eppie's death, they were not on speaking terms. They were said to have reconciled before Eppie's death, but the reconciliation seems questionable in view of the fact that "Abby" was and is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Eppie's daughter, Margo, was formerly married to actor Ken Howard. After their divorce, professionally she retained her last name, Howard. She has three children. In the 1990s, she wrote a personal advice column, "Dear Prudence". Currently, she writes the advice column, "Dear Margo". Margo Coleman Margo Coleman (often called Margo Howard; born Margo Lederer in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer. ... For the British artist, see Ken Howard (artist). ... Margo Coleman (often called Margo Howard; born Margo Lederer in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer. ...

A collection of correspondence between Eppie and Margo was published after Eppie's death.

Eppie was in good health almost all her life. She died of multiple myeloma in 2002 at the age of 83. (Her ex-husband, Julius, died on January 21, 1999.) Multiple myeloma (also known as MM, myeloma, plasma cell myeloma, or as Kahlers disease after Otto Kahler) is a type of cancer of plasma cells which are immune system cells in bone marrow that produce antibodies. ...

After Eppie's death, Dan Savage, author of the salacious sex column, Savage Love, and editor of The Stranger, bought her desk. Dan Savage speaking at Bradley University Daniel Keenan Savage (born October 7, 1964[1] near Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an openly gay American sex advice columnist, author, media pundit, journalist, and newspaper editor. ... Savage Love is a syndicated sex-advice column by Dan Savage, appearing weekly in several dozen newspapers, mainly free city papers in the U.S. and Canada, but also newspapers in Europe and Asia. ... The Stranger is a weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, noted for its social commentary, political opinion, arts, comics and music coverage, and local news items. ...

In 2002, the Chicago City Council passed a two-page resolution to honor Eppie for epitomizing Chicago "with her strong opinion, her sage advice, her impeccable manners, and quick wit", and announced that a street sign, "Ann 'Eppie' Landers Way", would be installed at the corner of North Michigan Avenue and East Illinois Street, in front of the Chicago Tribune Tower, the headquarters of her home paper since 1987. Michigan Avenue refers to remnants of Old U.S. Highway 12 that ran from downtown Detroit to Chicago. ... The Gothic Tribune Tower in Chicago. ...

Controversies

Pope John Paul II insult

In 1995, Eppie commented thus in "New Yorker" about Pope John Paul II: "He has a sweet sense of humor. Of course, he's a Pollack. They're very anti-women." Polish-Americans responded with outrage. She issued a formal apology, but refused to comment further. "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel" canceled her column after that incident. In that same article, she had complained that President John F. Kennedy's father, Joe Kennedy Sr., was anti-Semitic. Official papal image of John Paul II. His Holiness Pope John Paul II, né Karol Józef Wojtyła (born May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland), is the current Pope — the Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. ... John Kennedy and JFK redirect here. ...

Recycled columns

During 1982, Barbara Sandken, a part-time reporter for the "Pontiac (Illinois) Daily Leader", had been assigned the job of compiling "25 years ago in the Leader" columns, and recognized an "Ann Landers" letter in an old paper to be a rewrite of one she had read more recently. The Associated Press (AP) published Sandken's story nationwide on May 3, 1982. Eppie then apologized in her column and pledged to stop the practice.

Causing needless fear

A 1995 "Ann Landers" column said thus: "In recent years, there have been reports of people with twisted minds putting razor blades and poison in taffy apples and Halloween candy. It is no longer safe to let your child eat treats that come from strangers." The vague warning was criticized for causing needless fear, as there have been no documented cases of children receiving poisoned candy during door-to-door Halloween trick-or-treating.^[6] The poisoned candy scare, from the 1970s and early 1980s, refers to a moral panic in the United States regarding the threat that children could be in danger of ingesting razor blades, needles, or poison introduced to candy by senseless, malicious tampering. ...

Mistaken legal advice

In her March 28, 1965 column, Eppie wrote that "the wedding gifts belong to the bride." She went on to state that the bride should "consult a lawyer about the cheques. In some states this could be considered community property." The advice was mistaken because only gifts given after the marriage would be considered community property in some states (or else because wedding gifts--if so designated--can be considered back-dated gifts to the bride. The column has provided teaching material for law professors and law students. Ref.: Reppy & DeFuniak, Community Property in the United States, pages 137-138(Bobbs-Merrill 1975).

See also

• Pauline Phillips
• Poisoned candy scare
• Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

Pauline Phillips (born July 4, 1918 as Pauline Popo Esther Friedman) founded Dear Abby in 1956. ... The poisoned candy scare, from the 1970s and 1980s, refers to a moral panic in the United States regarding the threat that children could be in danger of ingesting razor blades, needles, or poison introduced to candy by senseless, malicious tampering, especially during traditional Halloween trick-or-treating. ... The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation or MMRF is a non-profit organization based in New Canaan, Connecticut dedicated to accelerating the search for a cure of multiple myeloma. ...

Further reading

• Aronson, Virginia. Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren. Women of achievement. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2000. ISBN 0791052974. (children's book).
• Howard, Margo. Eppie: The Story of Ann Landers. New York: Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0399126880.
• Landers, Ann, and Margo Howard. A Life in Letters: Ann Landers' Letters to Her Only Child. New York, NY: Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446532711.
• Pottker, Janice, and Bob Speziale. Dear Ann, Dear Abby: The Unauthorized Biography of Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1987. ISBN 0396089062.

References

1. ^ "Ann Landers", The Post-Register (Idaho Falls), October 16, 1955, pB-2
2. ^ Advice for the Lonely Hearts Time, January 19, 1981. Accessed online May 24, 2007.
3. ^ Ann Landers in favor of legalizing Prostitution Sex Worker Support Cyber Center. Accessed online January 10, 2008
4. ^ Ted Kennedy: The Dogged Achiever, Time, April 14, 2006. Accessed online May 6, 2007.
5. ^ Ann Landers (1918-2002) by Robin Judd, Jewish Virtual Library. Accessed online June 21, 2007.
6. ^ Halloween Poisonings Snopes.com, 27 October 2005. Accessed online January 10, 2008.