Midwest: Region Four

Abbott, Dr. O. Lawrence

July 19 1900—November, 1978

Place of Birth: Conesville, IA

Place of Principal Residence: East Lansing, MI

Biography
Orville Lawrence Abbott was born to I.S. and Nan Abbott in Conesville, IA on July 19, 1900.  He attended the University of Northern Iowa where he earned his Bachelors Degree in 1923. Abbot went on to get his Masters at the University of Iowa in 1928 and worked as a high school teacher before going back to school.  In 1953 he earned his PhD from Michigan State University and was hired there as an associate professor of foreign languages.  Both Abbott and his wife, Margaret, enjoyed writing poetry, publishing their work in newspapers and magazines.  Yet it was not until Abbott reached his sixties that the couple co-authored two books.  In addition to their writing they had three children: Helen, Jane, and John.  Abbott passed away in November of 1978.

Selected Works

• Matched Pair (1963)
• Beyond Now (1968)

Awards

• 1964 Michigan Poets Award following the poem “Matched Pair”
• Listed in Michigan Authors, 2nd ed. in 1980

Anderson, William

February 5, 1952—

Place of Birth: Flint, MI

Place of Principal Residence:  Lapeer, MI

Biography
William Anderson was born to Wilma and Thomas Anderson in Flint, MI on February 5, 1952.  His interest in history and writing struck early when in third grade his teacher read to the class Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Anderson was hooked.  After that experience, he contacted her surviving relatives for first-hand accounts of Laura’s life and visited family sites of the Ingalls.  Anderson’s parents encouraged his interest and made sure to stop at these sites for his benefit. At 15 years of age, he published a booklet called The Story of the Ingalls.  The booklet was for the benefit of the museum at the Wilder home in Mansfield. Anderson earned his B.A. at Albion College in 1974 and a M.A. from South Dakota State University in 1982.  During graduate school Anderson began writing for magazines, which fostered his love for research and writing.  He has served as a consultant for Harper Collins Publishers and for Arts and Entertainment Network, and has been interviewed extensively, including by C-span ‘Book Notes.’  Today Anderson is a teacher, historian, speaker, and freelance writer and resides in Lapeer, MI.

Selected Works

• River Boy: The Story of Mark Twain
• Pioneer Girl
• The World of Louisa May Alcott
• Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The World of the Trapp Family

Awards

• Western History Association’s Billington Award
• National Endowment for Humanities scholar 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987
• Hoover Presidential Library Scholar 1986, 1987
• Best Article of the Year Award from the Herbert Hoover Library Association 1985

Critical Reception
Anderson is a well-known historian.  But, also of note, the people whom he writes about appreciate and support the work he has done.  The Ingalls family remains in contact and the Trapp family went to book signings.  He is an accepted author and historian by both subjects and readers.

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Not only did Anderson visit the places he wrote about as a child, he continues to do so today.  Before writing the book, Anderson visits the place where the action occurred.  From Ingalls to vonTrapp, Anderson makes sure to explore a place before completing a project.  After compiling his research, Anderson works extensively at his home studio.  In addition to writing, Anderson is sure to pass on his dedication and knowledge through local teaching.

Arnold, Edmund

June 25, 1913 - February 2, 2007

Place of Birth:  Bay City, MI

Biography:
  Edmund Arnold was born to Anne and Ferdinand Arnold in Bay City, MI in 1913.  He graduated from Arthur High School and Bay City Junior College in 1934.  Arnold served as a combat correspondent during WWII, and afterwards bought the Frankenmuth News with a friend in 1946.  Arnold was an early consultant and educator in graphic art design and pioneered cleaner displays of stories and pictures to hundreds of newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, New Orleans Times – Picayune, Boston Globe, Toronto Star, and National Observer.  Arnold spent four decades as a design consultant and made changes in newspaper design that have now become standard practice.  He installed bigger type, six columns of print instead of eight, and a modular layout that organized stories into squares instead of long, haphazard chunks of text overlapping one another.  Besides working as an editor for Frankenmuth News, Arnold served as a picture editor for Saginaw News, a night editor for The State Journal, a Linotype News editor, a director of trade relations for Mergenthaler Linotype Company, and a Distinguished Professor of Journalism at Virginia Commonwealth University.  Arnold published several books in his field, including Functional Newspaper Design in 1956 and Ink on Paper 2 in 1971.  In 1957 he was given the George Polk Award for his contribution to typographic redesign, and the Society for News Design’s lifetime achievement award in 2000.  Arnold died on February 2, 2007 and was survived by Viola (his wife of sixty-five years), his three children Kathleen, Bethany, and Bruce, and five grandchildren.

Selected Works:

       
• The Trailblazers: The Story of the 70th Infantry Division (1989)
       
• Improving Your Publication (1985)
       
• Editing the Organizational Publication (1982)
       
• Arnold’s Ancient Axioms (1978)
       
• Ink on Paper 2 (1972)
       
• Modern Newspaper Design (1969)
       
• Feature Photos That Sell (1960)

Awards:

     
• 2000 Lifetime Achievement Award, Society for Newspaper Design
     
• 1999 Lifetime Service Award, American Press Institute
     
• 1980 L.H.D., Wagner College
     
• 1983 Gold Key Award, Columbia University
     
• 1981 Arts and Sciences Lecturer Award (initial)
     
• 1971 The Friars’ Award, St. Bonaventure University
     
• 1990 Professional Honors: Army Distinguished Civilian Service Medal
     
• 1988 American Press Institute Award for Service to Journalism
     
• 1984 Photo-Journalism Award, United States Navy
     
• 1983 Distinguished Alumnus, School of Journalism, Michigan State University
     
• 1983 Honorary Life Membership, Virginia Press Association
     
• 1979 Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal
     
• 1978 Journalism Pioneer Medal, the Newspaper Fund
     
• 1973 The John Fields Memorial Award, Central Michigan University
     
• 1968 The Carl Towley Memorial Award, Journalism Education Association
     
• 1960 U.S. Army Certificate of Appreciation
     
• 1958 Award of Appreciation, National Editorial Association
     
• 1957 George Polk Memorial Award, The Overseas Press Club

Critical Reception:
  Considered the “Father of Modern Newspaper Design,” Arnold has received a plethora of awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Newspaper Design and an Award of Appreciation from the National Editorial Association.

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
  Arnold launched his newspaper career with the Frankenmuth News (from Frankenmuth, Michigan) where he began his crucial changes to newspaper design.  He graduated from Bay City Junior College and got a B.A. at Michigan State University. 

 

 

Braun, Lilian Jackson

1916 —
Place of Birth: Massachusetts

Place of Principal Residence: North Carolina

Biography
“Lilian Jackson Braun is a hard woman to pin down.  It is generally believed that she was born in 1916, although the date still remains somewhat ambiguous with conflicting reports from publishers.  She was born in Massachusetts, but shortly after moved with her family to Michigan.  According to Braun, her mother had a huge influence on her storytelling abilities by having her talk about her day after school.  At the age of three Braun’s mother taught her how to read and write so she could keep in contact with her grandmother.  At the age of sixteen Braun graduated from high school and started writing sports poetry for the Detroit News.  In addition, she penned articles under the name Ward Jackson for the Baseball Magazine and The Sporting News.  Eventually Braun moved on to become an advertising copywriter for Detroit department stores.  As a cat lover Braun centered the plot of first book series, Cat Who, on a fictitious retired newspaper reporter, James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum.  Braun currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, Earl Bettinger, and her two Siamese cats..”

Selected Works

• The Cat Who Saw Red
• The Cat Who Robbed a Bank
• The Cat Who Said Cheese
• Other books in The Cat Who… series

Awards

• 1987 Edgar Awards (Edgar Allan Poe Awards) Nominee for The Cat Who Saw Red
• Literary Guild, Alternate Selection for The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, The Cat Who Said Cheese
• Mystery Guild, Main Selection for The Cat Who Came to Breakfast

Critical Reception
In 1966, The New York Times labeled Braun, “the new detective of the year.” However, this new mystery author disappeared from the publishing scene for 18 years. The blame came from the thought that mystery novels were starting to concentrate on sex, violence, and inappropriate language, and Braun’s light-hearted books were not welcome in this new territory.  Finally, in 1986 the Berkley Publishing Group reintroduced Braun to the public with the publication of her original paperback, The Cat Who Saw Red. Within two years, Berkeley released four new novels in paperback and reprinted the three mysteries from the sixties. Braun’s series became an instant best seller once again. In January 2007 the twenty-ninth novel in the series, The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers, was released in hardcover by the Penguin Group.

      For The Cat Who Saw Stars:           “The Cat Who Saw Starsis Braun’s 21st Cat Who Mystery novel and she hasn’t lost her touch. Her Human characters are funny and familiar,           while the two Siamese, Koko and Yum Yum, still sparkle. Reading this book is like dropping in on old and very dear friends.”         - New York Daily News For Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers:         “Longtime fans of LJB will devour her newest cozy like cats rolling in fresh catnip, even with numerous integral plot threads underexplored or left           completely unresolved. But with so much pivotal transition going on, devotees of this series will likely look past the lack of a satisfying           conclusion and begin impatiently awaiting the 30th book in the saga for resolution….”         - Barnes & Noble

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Although never formally stated in the books, the towns, counties and lifestyles described in The Cat Who… series are generally accepted to be a modeled after Bad Axe, Michigan (located in the “Michigan Thumb”) where Braun lived with her husband for many years until the mid 1980’s. Many also believe that the culture and history of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are represented in the series.  Kent Rasmussen of the Library Journal sums it up, ” The true charm of these works is the marvelous sense of place that Braun evokes.

Carey, Diane

October 2, 1954—

Place of Birth: Flint, MI

Place of Principal Residence: Flint, MI

Biography
Carey was born to Frank and Susan Carey in Flint, MI.  At the age of twenty-two, she graduated with honors from Alma College with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She later attended West Virginia University, but got her Master of Arts degree from the University of Michigan. Over the years she occupied many positions, from Judicial Secretary and Instructor of English, to concert tuba player and member of the Flint Scottish Bagpipe Band. Since 1983 Carey has made a career out of her writing.  She is married to Gregory E. Brodeur, who she says “edits all my work, making detailed, intuitive suggestions for expanding or revising each scene.” They have made a unique life together, engaging in such activities as ship sailing, motor cycling, and taking in over 300 dogs and cats off the street and finding them homes. 
Carey has put out forty-four novels, seven of which became New York Times Bestsellers. Her subjects range from the Civil War to Star Trek, and she works with genres from science fiction to romance. Her work in the Star Trek franchise has undisputedly gained her the most recognition. Her novel Star Trek: Dreadnought!, made history as the first Star Trek book to get on the New York Times Bestseller list.

Selected Works

     
• Unwilling Enchantress (1982)
     
• Dreadnought (1986)
     
• Star Trek: The Great Starship Race (1993)
     
• Aliens: DNA War (2006)

Awards

• Awarded a Distinguished Fellowship by the Flint Northern High School Alumni Association

Critical Reception:
Carey’s success was not without some controversy: Critics would later accuse Carey of fashioning the heroine of Star Trek: Dreadnought! after herself as well as other main characters after personal friends. Her subsequent novels in the franchise, however, received a more general acclaim.

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