Topic: Jean Kerr

Jean Kerr (July 10, 1922—January 5, 2003) was an American author and playwright.

Born Bridget Jean Collins in Scranton, Pennsylvania, her best-known book was Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1957), a humorous look at suburban life. The book was a national bestseller, later adapted for the screen as a vehicle for Doris Day and David Niven, and subsequently made into a sitcom.

Kerr was born to parents Tom and Kitty Collins, grew up on Electric Street in Scranton, and attended Marywood Seminary, the topic of her humorous short story "When I was Queen of the May." She received a Bachelor's Degree from Marywood College in Scranton and later attended The Catholic University of America, where she received her Masters' Degree and met then-professor Walter Kerr. She later married Kerr, who went on to become a well-known New York drama critic, and they had six children—Christopher, twins Colin and John, Gilbert, Gregory, and Kitty. The Kerrs bought an old house in Larchmont, New York, which had belonged to the inventor Charles King. The Kerr family features in With Love from Karen, written by their next-door neighbor Marie Killilea.