Margaret Tante Burk, Round Table West co-founder was 93

Margaret Tante Burk, a publicist and businesswoman here, co-founded Round Table West with Marylin Hudson at the Ambassador Hotel in 1977. The forum for authors grew into one of the country's largest literary lunch groups. "They were the Lucy and Ethel of the Southern California literary scene," said novelist Martin J. Smith, editor-in-chief of Orange Coast magazine, "and together they made the world a better place with their bawdy good humor, their appreciation for the written word, and their support for those of us trying to find an audience for our books." Burk also was public relations director for the Ambassador Hotel and in 1980 wrote, "Are the Stars Out Tonight? The Story of the World Famous Ambassador and Cocoanut Grove." She died Oct. 6 of natural causes, her son said.

Previously on LA Observed
Marylin Hudson, co-founder of Round Table West was 76
Tough act to follow