Doris Bass, former director of marketing at Scholastic, died on March 30. She was 86.

Bass's career began at the Brooklyn Public Library, where she was coordinator of young adult services. In 1971, Random House recruited her to be director of library promotions. In 1978 she moved to Bantam Books as director of school and library marketing and sales, where her career grew to include Doubleday, Dell, adult titles, supermarkets and airports before she joined Scholastic in 1991 as director of marketing in the trade book group. She worked at Scholastic until becoming an independent consultant in 2003.

Bass was the 1997 recipient of the Jeremiah Ludington Award from the Educational Paperbacks Association (now the Educational Book and Media Association), which acknowledged her “unwavering support of wholesale bookselling over many years and her generous willingness to share her knowledge of the school and library markets.” She also served as a member of the EPA board in the late 1980s.

An avid skier, runner, traveler, mother, and grandmother, Bass moved from New York to Bondville, Vermont upon retirement, returning many times to break bread with her old publishing friends. Active in her community, Doris ran for public office multiple times in Bondville and until very recently continued to ski and work at Stratton Mountain.

Bass leaves behind her brother Hilliard Lubin, daughter Robin and her children Diana and Paul; step-grandson Brett McDonnell; her son Steven, his wife Nancy and their children Donald and Deborah and her partner John, as well as daughters-in-law Inez Bass and MaiLoan Tran.

A memorial service will be held at Israel Congregation of Manchester, Vt. on April 1 at 11 AM. A memorial gathering in New York City is being planned for later this year.

Donations in Doris's memory made be made to:

Israel Congregation of Manchester
PO Box 1050
Manchester Center, VT 05255

Anti-Defamation League
605 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10158
Attn: Development

Heifer International
donations.heifer.org

Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Attn: Online Services Program
434 West 33rd Street
New York, NY 10011