We offer both an official obituary and a personal recollection of Dan Lundy:
Daniel T. Lundy, longtime vice president, director of academic and library marketing and sales at Penguin Group (USA), passed away Monday evening, May 29, at Jacob Perlow Hospice in New York City, due to complications from lung cancer. He was 51. Widely respected and highly regarded throughout the academic book publishing world, Lundy oversaw the largest combined academic marketing department at a major consumer book publishing house for close to 16 years.
He worked with such notable bestselling authors as Nathaniel Philbrick, Khaled Hosseini, Jared Diamond, Susan Vreeland, Dava Sobel, Mark Bowden, Leonard Maltin and Paul Rusesabagina, among many others.
"Such a gap he'll be leaving," said Susan Vreeland. "It's right that he receives some recognition for the behind-the-scenes work he did for so many Penguin authors. He was always a strong supporter of my work. I remember Dan's humor, his solicitousness for me. We often spoke of his boys. My heart goes out to them now, and to his wife. I wish I could return the support Dan gave me."
He was an active member of many publishing trade organizations, such as the Association of American Publishers, the American Library Association, the International Reading Association, Friends of Libraries USA and the National Association of College Stores.
Dan Lundy was born December 14, 1954 in Westfield, N.J. He graduated from Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn., with a B.A. degree in English Literature in 1977. He began his career in book publishing in 1984 and worked for a number of small presses before becoming marketing manager of academic Books at Oxford University Press. He joined Penguin in 1990.
Extremely well-read, Lundy was an authority on classic literature and was a lifelong fan of music, particularly bluegrass.
Dan, formerly of Manhattan, leaves behind his wife, Mary Sue, and sons, Jared and Damon, as well his mother, Janet M. Lundy, and father, Daniel F. Lundy, and sisters, Mary Lundy Zilinskas, Joanne Ranagan, and Sue Lundy.
A memorial service will be held tomorrow, Friday, 7-9 p.m. at Andrett Funeral Home, 353 Second Avenue (at 20th Street), in New York City. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Lundy's name to the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, 17 Pemberton Rd., Southampton, N.J. 08088.
---
Concerning Dan, Cindy Thompson, director of committee/state relations at the National Association of College Stores, writes:
On Tuesday morning, I got the news that my best friend in publishing, Dan Lundy, had passed away. Since the early 1990s, Dan and I had worked together on the Book & Author Breakfast held at the Annual Meeting and Campus Market Expo of the National Association of College Stores. He was always the calm one, and it became a standing joke between us.
Over the years, Dan and his wonderful company, Penguin, became more and more involved with our efforts. Not only the breakfast, but our keynote presentations and education sessions as well. He always had an idea for a speaker, and a way to help us realize it. And he always took such good care of people. It got to the point that we included an acknowledgement of Dan in all our event introductions. The last time I saw him was at our convention in Houston in March. Dan never liked the limelight, but agreed to take the stage on behalf of Penguin, to receive an award acknowledging the company's 60 consecutive years of exhibiting at our convention. He was a class act that night as we always knew him to be.
Dan's commitment to academic marketing went beyond our convention, to other meetings, events for state and regional college store associations, and local programs for kids. He tirelessly promoted college stores to his colleagues in publishing as well, which I found remarkable. He had a great sense of humor, sharp wit, and an inspiring commitment to his family. I always looked forward to seeing him. Today I can't imagine what it will be like without him.
The bookselling industry is a very generous one, and one that I have loved since I joined it as a bookseller many years ago, and then as a NACS staff member. I have met too many wonderful people to begin to count, and I will always remember Dan that way. I guess we always hope that the people we love will be the ones to beat the odds, and I hoped that for Dan. It was not to be, but I am so grateful for the time I spent with him, and for the programs we created together. He will be missed so much.
Daniel T. Lundy, longtime vice president, director of academic and library marketing and sales at Penguin Group (USA), passed away Monday evening, May 29, at Jacob Perlow Hospice in New York City, due to complications from lung cancer. He was 51. Widely respected and highly regarded throughout the academic book publishing world, Lundy oversaw the largest combined academic marketing department at a major consumer book publishing house for close to 16 years.
He worked with such notable bestselling authors as Nathaniel Philbrick, Khaled Hosseini, Jared Diamond, Susan Vreeland, Dava Sobel, Mark Bowden, Leonard Maltin and Paul Rusesabagina, among many others.
"Such a gap he'll be leaving," said Susan Vreeland. "It's right that he receives some recognition for the behind-the-scenes work he did for so many Penguin authors. He was always a strong supporter of my work. I remember Dan's humor, his solicitousness for me. We often spoke of his boys. My heart goes out to them now, and to his wife. I wish I could return the support Dan gave me."
He was an active member of many publishing trade organizations, such as the Association of American Publishers, the American Library Association, the International Reading Association, Friends of Libraries USA and the National Association of College Stores.
Dan Lundy was born December 14, 1954 in Westfield, N.J. He graduated from Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn., with a B.A. degree in English Literature in 1977. He began his career in book publishing in 1984 and worked for a number of small presses before becoming marketing manager of academic Books at Oxford University Press. He joined Penguin in 1990.
Extremely well-read, Lundy was an authority on classic literature and was a lifelong fan of music, particularly bluegrass.
Dan, formerly of Manhattan, leaves behind his wife, Mary Sue, and sons, Jared and Damon, as well his mother, Janet M. Lundy, and father, Daniel F. Lundy, and sisters, Mary Lundy Zilinskas, Joanne Ranagan, and Sue Lundy.
A memorial service will be held tomorrow, Friday, 7-9 p.m. at Andrett Funeral Home, 353 Second Avenue (at 20th Street), in New York City. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Lundy's name to the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, 17 Pemberton Rd., Southampton, N.J. 08088.
---
Concerning Dan, Cindy Thompson, director of committee/state relations at the National Association of College Stores, writes:
On Tuesday morning, I got the news that my best friend in publishing, Dan Lundy, had passed away. Since the early 1990s, Dan and I had worked together on the Book & Author Breakfast held at the Annual Meeting and Campus Market Expo of the National Association of College Stores. He was always the calm one, and it became a standing joke between us.
Over the years, Dan and his wonderful company, Penguin, became more and more involved with our efforts. Not only the breakfast, but our keynote presentations and education sessions as well. He always had an idea for a speaker, and a way to help us realize it. And he always took such good care of people. It got to the point that we included an acknowledgement of Dan in all our event introductions. The last time I saw him was at our convention in Houston in March. Dan never liked the limelight, but agreed to take the stage on behalf of Penguin, to receive an award acknowledging the company's 60 consecutive years of exhibiting at our convention. He was a class act that night as we always knew him to be.
Dan's commitment to academic marketing went beyond our convention, to other meetings, events for state and regional college store associations, and local programs for kids. He tirelessly promoted college stores to his colleagues in publishing as well, which I found remarkable. He had a great sense of humor, sharp wit, and an inspiring commitment to his family. I always looked forward to seeing him. Today I can't imagine what it will be like without him.
The bookselling industry is a very generous one, and one that I have loved since I joined it as a bookseller many years ago, and then as a NACS staff member. I have met too many wonderful people to begin to count, and I will always remember Dan that way. I guess we always hope that the people we love will be the ones to beat the odds, and I hoped that for Dan. It was not to be, but I am so grateful for the time I spent with him, and for the programs we created together. He will be missed so much.