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About Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar
Kathy Mitchell grew up in Marion, Ind. She moved to Chicago in 1969 at the age of 19, where she applied for a job at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Kathy was immediately placed in the office of Eppie Lederer, aka Ann Landers, where she worked as a typist. Two years later, Kathy became one of Ann's personal secretaries. "I loved it," Kathy says. "It was quite an experience. Time flies when you're having a good time."
Over the years, Kathy gained more and more responsibility, becoming Eppie's personal assistant and office manager. She handled public relations, scheduled her speeches, traveled with her to events, kept track of her mail, and helped hunt down expert advice and do other research for the world-famous advice column. "I had to become a very good sleuth," Kathy confesses. "It is the key to writing the column."
Now, with Annie's Mailbox, Kathy and longtime friend and fellow officemate Marcy Sugar work together hand in hand, gathering the essential information that makes an advice column truly special.
Born and raised in Chicago, Marcy Sugar graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1973 with a major in mass communications. While visiting an old friend who was principal of an area secretarial school, she learned of an opening in Ann Landers' office at the Chicago Sun-Times. Having been a fan of the column for years, Marcy was intrigued by the position. She met with Eppie Lederer and was hired immediately.
Marcy began her work in the office by doing basic research and clerical tasks, then she moved into bookkeeping. She also worked with Kathy on Eppie's speaking engagements and helped dig up useful information and opinions to add to the column.
In 1979, Marcy left Ann Landers' office to raise a family. She came back to work part-time for Eppie in her new office at the Chicago Tribune in 1988. Her duties quickly blossomed into a full-time position, working as Eppie's editorial assistant. She helped select letters, research answers and edit them into column format, although she continued to arrange her hours so she could be with her children after school. Marcy has been married to a prominent Chicago attorney for over 30 years. They have three sons.
Marcy and Kathy are now teamed up to provide answers to "Dear Annie" letters from across the country. Together they select and research questions, then write their advice with a one-of-a-kind modern voice.
