Lerner Publishing Group announced Wednesday that the founder of the company, Harry Lerner, died in Minneapolis on April 8, at the age of 93. Lerner, an LPG release stated, “leaves behind an enormous legacy in the children’s book publishing industry as the founder of one of the nation’s largest independent publishers. His taste, business sense, loyalty, and of course tenacity have touched the lives of young readers, authors, illustrators, family, and friends across the world.”

Born in 1932 in Minneapolis, Lerner spent his early years working in his father’s grocery store located about a half mile from LPG’s current headquarters. While serving in the U.S. Army in Germany in the 1950s, Lerner published a guide for soldiers that provided advice on automobiles and tips for traveling in Europe; it was distributed by Stars and Stripes, the U.S. military’s newspaper. After his discharge, Lerner returned to Minneapolis and launched in 1959 what became Lerner Publishing Group. The company, Lerner Publications, made its debut with a series, Medical Books for Children, designed to help children dealing with common childhood illnesses. The books were written by Lerner’s sister-in-law, Dr. Marguerite Rush Lerner.

LPG currently publishes approximately 600 new books and series annually, catering to both the trade and school and library markets. LPG releases have received numerous accolades over the years, including a Caldecott Honor, and a number of Coretta Scott King Book Awards, Robert F. Sibert Medals, and Jane Addams Children's Book Awards.

Lerner retired in 1998, and his son, Adam Lerner, became the company’s publisher and CEO, while Lerner served as chairman of the LPG board until his death; he reportedly came into the office several days a week and remained engaged in all aspects of the business for years afterwards. His two oldest grandsons, Ariel Lerner and Leo Lerner, currently work at LPG, which remains family-owned.

During a 50th anniversary party at the Minneapolis Central Library in 2009 that drew 600 guests from all over the world, Lerner reminisced about building up LPG over a half-century. He recalled the “horse-and-buggy” early days as a publisher, working in a small, one-room office with an orange crate for a desk, promoting books, and his evenings editing, packing books, and typing carbon copies of customer invoices on a Smith-Corona. “I just hated it when a school would require an invoice in quadruplicate,” he said, only half-joking.

Fifty years later, and “everything has changed,” Lerner declared. “My red editing pencil has been replaced by a computer with spell check. Selling to schools and libraries where you could sit down with a teacher or librarian and explain each book doesn’t exist any longer. Computers are on kids’ desks. Instead of a blackboard there is a white board or a smart board. The electronic age is upon us. I must confess that I’m terribly uncomfortable with the new electronic gadgetry.”

According to LPG, “Harry and the Lerner family were instrumental in the development of the wonderful literary community in Minnesota through support of important organizations such as The Loft, Books for Africa, the Minnesota Library Association Foundation, the Minnesota Book Publishers Roundtable, the Hennepin County Library, Minneapolis Central Library, the Kerlan Collection, and the University of Minnesota, where the Lerner Publishing Media Lab is named in [Lerner's] honor. Harry Lerner celebrated diversity in children’s book publishing not only by publishing diverse books, but by offering scholarships and donations to diverse creators through the Lerner Foundation.”

Lerner’s funeral is being held today, April 10, at 2:00 p.m.. CST at the Adath Jeshurun Congregation in Minnetonka, Minn. The ceremony is being live-streamed.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Lerner’s memory may be made to Books for Africa or the American Library Association.