Sterling North

Thomas Sterling North (November 4, 1906 – December 22, 1974) was an American author of books for children and adults, including 1963's bestselling "Rascal". North, who professionally went by "Sterling North", was born on the second floor of a farmhouse on the shores of Lake Koshkonong, a few miles from Edgerton, Wisconsin in 1906 and died in Morristown, New Jersey in 1974. Surviving a near-paralyzing struggle with polio in his teens, he grew to young adulthood in the quiet southern Wisconsin village of Edgerton, which North transformed into the "Brailsford Junction" setting of several of his books.

Early life and family

Sterling North's maternal grandparents, James Hervey Nelson and Sarah Orelup Nelson, were Wisconsin pioneers. Born in Putnam County, New York, James moved first to near Rochester, New York, then to Menomonee, Wisconsin (now part of Milwaukee, Wisconsin), then pioneered a farm near present day South Wayne, Wisconsin, which is near Rockford, Illinois. His daughter, Sarah Elizabeth "Elizabeth" Nelson, was Sterling North's mother; she died when Sterling was seven years old. She married David Willard North, also the product of a pioneering local family, whose brother ran the family farm.

Sterling North had three siblings: two sisters, Jessica Nelson North who was an author, poet, and editor; Theo, who was the martinet in the family; and a brother, Herschel, who survived World War I. When Sterling North was eleven (in 1917, which would have been the year of his maternal grandfather's 100th birthday), several of his uncles wrote extended biographies about their parents and their pioneer farm life. One of these uncles was Justus Henry Nelson, an early missionary in the Amazon Basin. This writing effort was at the same time as the setting of "Rascal" and may have been an early literary inspiration to North.

Writing career

After attending the University of Chicago (he left without graduating in 1929), North worked as a reporter (eventually literary editor) for the "Chicago Daily News", the "New York World-Telegram" and the "New York Sun" before becoming a full-time freelance writer. One of his first books, "The Pedro Gorino," published in 1929, was a narrative of the life of Harry Dean, an African-American sea captain. A 1934 North novel, "Plowing on Sunday," featured a rare dust jacket illustration by Iowa artist Grant Wood.

North's book "Midnight and Jeremiah" was made into the Disney movie "So Dear to My Heart" in 1949. (The movie garnered an Academy Award nomination for best song: "Lavender Blue", sung by Burl Ives). In addition, North wrote "Abe Lincoln: Log Cabin to White House," "", "Racoons are the Brightest People," "Hurry Spring," and many other books.

In 1957 he became the general editor of Houghton Mifflin's North Star Books. This firm published biographies of American heroes for young adult readers. Although uncredited, North's beloved bride, Gladys Buchanan North, also contributed to the editing process.

"Rascal"

North published his most famous work, "Rascal", in 1963. The book is a remembrance of a year in his childhood when he raised a baby raccoon which he named Rascal. It received a Newbery Honor in 1964, a Sequoyah Book Award in 1966, and a Young Reader's Choice Award in 1966. It was made into the Disney movie of the same name in 1969. Additionally, it was made into a 52-episode Japanese anime entitled "Araiguma Rasukaru".

Subtitled "a memoir of a better era", North's book is a prose poem to adolescent angst. "Rascal" chronicles young Sterling's loving, troubled relationship with his father, dreamer David Willard North, and the aching loss represented by the death of his mother, Elizabeth Nelson North. The boy reconnects with society through the unlikely intervention of his pet raccoon, a "ringtailed wonder" charmer that dominates almost every page.

The author's sister, poet and art historian Jessica Nelson North, is one note of early 1900s normalcy in the book. She wasn't particularly pleased with how her brother portrayed her family in "Rascal" yet was proud of her brother's achievement, regardless.Fact|date=July 2008

Museum

In the 1990s, North's childhood home in Edgerton, Wisconsin was restored to its 1917 appearance by the Sterling North Society and transformed into a museum. A bronze sign in front of the home, marking North's significance in the history of this southern Wisconsin community, was dedicated in October, 1984. Money for the sign was contributed by the school children of Rock County, the Edgerton Area Chamber of Commerce, and friends of Sterling North.

Centennial commemoration

North's hometown of Edgerton celebrated his 100th birthday during a book festival October 21-22, 2006. Journalist Helen Thomas, children's book author Kevin Henkes, Bill Clinton and Vince Lombardi biographer David Maraniss, Wisconsin writer and volunteer firefighter Michael Perry, and North's daughter and children's book author Arielle North Olson were expected to appear.

External links

* [http://www.sterlingnorth.com/ The Sterling North Society Website]
* [http://www.pnla.org/yrca/pastwinners.htm Young Reader's Choice Award]
* [http://www.gojefferson.com/rascal/index.html Rascal history site]
* [http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2006/10/14/0610140041.php Article about the Centennial Celebration and the naming of Edgerton as "Booktown"]