Three decades ago, 70 year-old Ann Harris and her sister opened Ann’s Place in Akron, OH. According to 19 News in Akron, the two women worked across town at another restaurant and dreamed of the day they would have their own. “She and her sister were go getters. They worked hard to start the restaurant. It was one of their dreams,” Nettie Bayless told the news station.
On Friday, Ann’s hero, President Barack Obama entered the restaurant for breakfast. According to ABC News Channel 5, “Obama went around and shook hands with diners chowing down on pancakes and eggs before taking a seat at the corner of the counter. Toni Watkins, a waitress at the restaurant for 23 years, took his order and served him. Andrea Hubbard, Toni’s niece, said she will always remember the day she cooked for President Obama.”
While the president was there, Ann and her family and friends got pictures with the president.
A few hours after President Obama left, Ann Harris suffered a heart attack and died. She had already been recovering from other health problems. Unfortunately, in a competitive political year, all that news organizations and bloggers can say about Ms. Harris is that she died after meeting the president, as if it were some sort of conspiracy.
She deserves better.
