SHARE

Diane Straus, Longtime Publisher In Westchester, Dies At 66

Diane Straus, a newspaper and magazine publisher who spent much of her professional career in Northern Westchester, died on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at her home in Washington, DC, of complications from cancer. She was 66.

Diane Straus

Diane Straus

Photo Credit: Contributed

A longtime Bedford resident who was also a national championship platform tennis player, she had served as president and publisher of the American Prospect; group publisher of Manhattan Media, publisher of the Westchester and Fairfield County Times, the Westchester Wag, Trader Publications, and the Cranford Citizen and Chronicle.

Her first jobs were editing at New York Magazine and the Village Voice. 

Diane grew up in New York City and Washington, in a family active in media and liberal politics.

She was a member of the 1973 Yale class, the first to include women. While at Yale she established the women's varsity tennis team and captained all four years.

Diane played platform tennis at the highest level. She won national championships with 12 different partners over four decades, capturing more gold medals and perhaps hearts than anyone in the history of the sport. She was inducted into the National Platform Hall of Fame in 2004.

Diane's game was somewhat unorthodox, with a heavy western grip that she used to pummel her forehand return with laser-like efficiency. She set the standard for forehand side players, with consistency, towering lobs, and relentless pressure.

Diane served on the boards of the NAACP's Crisis Magazine, the Yale Alumni Magazine, the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital, Woodley House, the Urban League, and GreenWood.

She is survived by three children, Peter and his partner Julia Kann; Rebecca and her husband, Joe Gara; and David; by two granddaughters, Kai and Juno; and by her longtime love, John Curtis, who was her high school sweetheart and steadfast companion over the last decade of her life.

Diane's ex-husband, Carll Tucker, is the founder and chair of Daily Voice and was editor and publisher of Trader Publications for 19 years.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. at the Robert L. Smith Meeting Room at Sidwell Friends.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Greenwood Global (www.greenwoodglobal.org), the Latin American Youth Center, Ultimate Peace or the Ben Jealous Campaign for Maryland Governor.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Greenwood Global (www.greenwoodglobal.org), the Latin American Youth Center, Ultimate Peace or the Ben Jealous Campaign for Maryland Governor.

to follow Daily Voice Mount Pleasant and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE