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Boston Globe (14/Jul/1991) - Eleanor Regis Sullivan, 62, editor, writer in suspense-mystery genre

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Eleanor Regis Sullivan, 62, editor, writer in suspense-mystery genre

Eleanor Regis Sullivan, an editor, writer and authority in the genre of mystery and suspense fiction, died of cancer Friday in New York City. Formerly of Cambridge, she was 62.

Ms. Sullivan had compiled and edited more than two dozen anthologies of mystery and suspense fiction.

For her overall contributions to the genre of mystery and suspense, Ms. Sullivan received the Ellery Queen Award for Excellence from the Mystery Writers of America in 1987.

Ms. Sullivan had been the editor-in-chief of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine since 1982. She also worked as the magazine's managing editor from 1970 to 1981. In addition, Ms. Sullivan served as the top editor of the monthly Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine from 1975 to 1981.

Besides leaving an imprint as an editor, Ms. Sullivan was also a writer of fiction and non-fiction that appeared in a variety of books, magazines and newspapers and has been reprinted in several languages. Her fiction often appeared under the pen names Lika Ness, Julia DeHahn and Ruth Graviros. In 1990, one of Ms. Sullivan's short story under the pen name Graviros was nominated for an "Edgar," one of mystery writing's highest awards.

In 1960, Ms. Sullivan broke into the publishing business as an editorial assistant for Pocket Books in New York City. She later became an editor with Charle Scribner's Sons book publishers in 1962 and worked there until 1970 when Frederic Danay, the editor of the Ellery Queen, hand-picked her to become his top assistant and eventual successor.

Ms. Sullivan had conducted many mystery-writing workshops around the country. She had been a secretary of the Mystery Writers of America and had served as a director on the organization's board.

A 1946 graduate of Cambridge High and Latin School, she graduated from Salem State College in 1950. Before entering publishing, Ms. Sullivan had taught elementary school for 10 years in Cambridge, in Clinton, Conn., and in White Plains, N.Y.

Ms. Sullivan leaves two brothers, James of Darien, Conn., and George of Belmont, and three sisters, Mary Ford of Quincy, Catherine Collins of West Roxbury and Anne Powers of Milton.

At Ms. Sullivan's request, no memorial service will be held.