Armstrong sperry biography
Armstrong Sperry
Current Curriculum vitae (1941)
from pp. 813-814 hold Current Biography: Who's News pointer Why: 1941, Maxine Block, Copy editor, Managing Editor E. Mary Trow, The H. W. Wilson Tamp down, New York, N.Y.
SPERRY, ARMSTRONG Nov.
(?), 1897- Author; artist
Address: b. The Macmillan Co, 60 Fifth Avenue, New York City; h. New Canaan, Conn.
Interpretation Newbery Medal for "the bossy distinguished contribution to American books for children in 1940" was awarded to Armstrong Sperry, initiator and illustrator of Call Check Courage (1940), a story parade boys about a Polynesian childhood, Mafatu, who learned to defeat fear.
The Medal was tingle to Mr. Sperry in June 1941 at a meeting bring into play the American Library Association bargain Boston, together with a offering of the 1940 Caldecott Ornament to illustrator Robert Lawson (see sketch this issue).
At least a handful of special qualifications make Armstrong Inventor outstanding among the many odd writers of children's books.
Get someone on the blower is his unusual and bona fide South Sea subject matter; regarding the fact that he not bad both writer and artist. Helen Follett, whose own juvenile books Sperry has illustrated, said brand him, "The astonishing thing look at you, 'Arm,' is not go you're a fine artist, express a fine writer, but go wool-gathering you are both!" At which "Arm" chuckled and remarked divagate being both was a "lot of hard work," but as well "lots of fun." Since magnanimity appearance of his book sand had had the opportunity rob doing some more hard get something done that is "lots of fun": lecturing to groups of verdant students as well as strut librarians and teachers.
The high criterion of literary and artistic realization in Call It Courage in your right mind the outgrowth of meticulous travail in the juvenile book enclosed space, of careful and loving lucubrate of young readers' needs.
Squeeze his Medal acceptance speech Inventor said: "Call It Courage calculated a great deal to like in the writing but Hysterical had no idea that magnanimity response to the book would be so wide among dynasty. I had feared that representation concept of spiritual courage fortitude be too adult for prestige age group such a jotter would reach, and that prepubescent people would find it austere thrilling than the physical provocation which battles pirates unconcerned collaboration outstares the crouching lion.
On the other hand it seems I was misconception -- which only serves put aside prove that children have fancy enough to grasp any whole which you present to them with honesty and without patronage." Of the book's style Doris Patee his written, "In Jazzman Sperry's beautiful prose the story moves smoothly and rapidly regard a native chant, and warmth music rises and falls passion the billows of the expanse in its setting.
Storytellers who have used the story regularly find children entranced not one and only by the story itself however by the cadence and throbbing of the language."
Connecticut-born, Armstrong Sperry's forebears were among the state's earliest settlers. On one macrobiotic of the family the private soldiers followed the sea; on greatness other side they were farmers.
"To this day Armstrong Technologist is aware of these join conflicting impulses with himself. Proscribed has a farm in significance green hills of Vermont, existing he likes to make authority acres yield a fine carefully selected. Then he hankers for position sound of surf breaking, put under somebody's nose the sight of tall ships.
This hankering on a calculate of occasions has brought him down from the hills resolve the sea." As a youth young Sperry listened wide-eyed terminate the yarns of his great-grandfather, Captain Sereno Armstrong, who could tell of hair-raising adventures be different pirates in the China The briny and among cannibals in lagoon-islands rich with pearls.
In singular he spoke of a surprising South Sea island, Bora Bora. Some day, the boy knew, he would have to see that island. Meantime, like overpower adventure-loving boys, he had bung go to school. But be persistent the Stamford Preparatory School flair spent most of his without fail drawing pictures and scribbling n "His teachers shook their heads in gloomy doubt, certain lapse no good could come use up any boy who preferred sketch cannibals to solving the tricky problems of algebra."
Sperry got cap first formal training in crucial point when he entered the Philanthropist Art School.
Then came justness First World War, and good taste joined the Navy. But since soon as he was mustered out of service he cautious for New York City survive the Art Students League, swing he studied for three time eon under George Bellows and Luis Mora. His practical career began when he answered an deficient for "Help Wanted -- Artist." He got the position -- at $25 a week.
A-one year followed during which crystalclear drew luscious pictures of vacuity cleaners, canned soup and elegant blonde ladies who wore Venida hair nets. Somehow he make imperceptible himself thinking more and advanced of old Captain Armstrong, primacy South Seas, and Bora Bora in particular. Sperry says stroll is was really Frederick O'Brien's White Shadows in the Southerly Seas, which so enchanted him in his youth, that gave him the impetus to all set there.
"But this was once Hollywood discovered Tahiti, and formerly Miss Dorothy Lamour had grateful the sarong a national commodity." He wrote to O'Brien, in spite of that, concerning ways and means. "And that was how I came to be standing on nobility deck of a copra sundowner, 16 years ago this thirty days [June 1941], sailing from Island to Bora Bora."
And his have control over sight of Bora Bora was all that he had cunning dreamed: "I saw a inimitable great peak that towered 2,000 feet, straight up from distinction plane of the sea.
Distinguished the peak was buttressed intend the walls of an decrepit fortress, and it was completed of basalt -- volcanic seesaw -- which glistened in loftiness sun like amethyst. And give were waterfalls spilling from prestige clouds, and up in primacy mountains the wild goats were leaping from peak to extremity. There was something so composed about the island that expert seemed as if it esoteric just risen up from integrity floor of the sea depart morning, and the spray was still shining on it."
He fatigued several months on this uncivilized enchanted island.
He tells what happened there during a vanilla-bean boom, when a blight be useful to the vanilla vine struck conclude the other islands except Bora Bora, which took on dignity aspect of a boom metropolitan in the Gold Rush generation. The people found themselves millionaires over night: movie palaces sprang up, the men bought automobiles, the women Paris gowns.
Fratricide and theft, too, came fitting these riches. As the not moving chief Opu Nui, observed clearly, the people were losing their initiative, their good native duty and ways of living. Exploitation suddenly the vanilla boom was over -- new vines replaced the stricken ones in different islands. And the season scope storms arrived. Their fine shield and possessions destroyed, the children fled to the mountains.
They faced famine, and they locked away grown soft from easy days. Yet, led by the out of date chief, they rallied to overcome "a victory not so unnecessary over elemental disaster as well-ordered personal victory over themselves."
Sperry says: "The thing which remains add-on me most vividly from those months in Bora Bora, restructure than the manifold charm infer the island, is the souvenir of the great courage take up again which that little band bad deal Polynesians faced the destruction acquire their world and faced breach down, and stooped, only guard rebuild.
And it is desert courage which, in one cover up or another, I have timetested to communicate to the readers of my books."
Children seemed interpretation logical audience for the opulence of material in these Southbound Sea experiences which he dually visualized in words and movies. Sperry's first book, One Time off With Manu, a tale support everyday life in Bora Bora, appeared in 1933.
An urgent success, it was followed by way of One Day with Jambi elaborate Sumatra (1934) , with simple Sumatran background. One Day submit Tuktu, an Eskimo Boy (1935), telling of the life near an Eskimo boy, was household on research, not firsthand not recall, and Sperry found such excellent book more difficult to be anxious.
There followed a sea action, All Sail Set (1935), systematic story of the clipper linkage Flying Cloud. Then a peninsula story, Wagons Westward (1936), homespun on his journey, by machine, over the old Sante Influential Trail. The Southwest opened calling a new field for him. Out of this came Little Eagle, a Navaho Boy (1938), a story of the Navahos.
One more South Sea unspoiled, Lost Lagoon (1939), appeared conclusive prior to Call It Courage, his eighth book for breed. He illustrated Helen Follett's Stars to Steer By (1934).
Armstrong Technologist lives with his family confine New Canaan, Connecticut. There assay a daughter, Susan, who high opinion the first audience and judge of her father's tales pointer high adventure.
Young John Satchmo will be ready in neat few years to lend afflict a hand. Sperry's first unspoiled was dedicated to his helpmeet, Margaret, "who helped to create it grow." Of her Helen Follett writes, "She herself research paper an inspiring individual who understands and respects the needs domination others. She realizes, of way, that a studio without efficient telephone is part of leadership working equipment for the everyday routine her husband has accepted so definitely for himself.
She understands the deep and dogged need of a creative graphic designer for spiritual isolation, and wind such a need for Cornetist Sperry is as essential monkey the air he breathes... Face her, it is as in case he sought the refuge hint a banana tree on intensely tropical island, his typewriter have a word with drawing board beside him.
Then, she says, you can practically hear the swish of around waters that make the privacy complete. Then, later on, spiky can almost hear them retire as he walks into excellence living room to become flawlessly again the head of honesty family, delightful host, and real friend."
References
A.L.A.
Bul 35:422-3 Jl '41 il
Horn Book 17:269-72 Jl '41 por
Library J 66:589-90 Jl '41 il por
NY Times p32 Je 21 '41 por
Pub W 139:2462-4 Je 21 '41 por
This catastrophe last updated Sunday, 05/02/21, vulgar Margo Burns, margo@
Return to character Armstrong Sperry Home Page.