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Frances
Hamerstrom Frances
Hamerstrom, 1907-1998 As a young woman she dreamed of attending game-breeding school, but her hopes were shattered when she was refused admittance because she was single and female. She married Frederick Hamerstrom a few months later and in 1931 they attended school together. They were among the first husband-and-wife wildlife research teams to practice in the U.S. After moving to Wisconsin, Mrs. Hamerstrom studied under Aldo Leopold. She has been a wildlife biologist for the Department of Natural Resources since 1949 and a research associate at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She is an expert falconer and past president of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology. The Hamerstrom's home in Plainfield, Wisconsin has been open to hundreds of volunteers over the years who have assisted with annual prairie chicken counts. Data gathered by these teams of helpers has enabled the Hamerstroms to add significantly to information on prairie chicken breeding habits and habitat. Fran Hamerstrom says her goal in writing is "to present animals -- and I include birds -- as they really are. I have studied and lived with wild animals all my life. I know what it is to hear a fox scratch on a screen door to get into the house; to see a golden eagle, hardly more than a speck in the sky, circle down to play with my shoelace; to have a flying squirrel scurry inside my shirt for safety." Author of ten books, Hamerstrom's versatility extends from children's books to over one hundred scientific papers, reviews, and articles. Selected Writings: An
Eagle to the Sky (1970) Anne
Pellowski, 1933- Awards and honors presented to Anne Pellowski include the book awards: Grolier Foundation Award, American Library Association; Constance Lindsay Skinner Award, Women's National Book Association; and the Wisconsin State Historical Society book Award; and the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Colorado in 1985 (nominated by someone who had never met her but who was so appreciative of her research and writing). Pellowski now divides her time between New York and Milwaukee. Along with her writing and storytelling pursuits, she is a consultant in library services for children in developing countries and continues to feel at home in varied cultures of the world and with people of all ages and interests. Selected Writings: The
Family Storytelling Handbook (1987) Clifford
Simak, 1904-1988 Simak was unique even among Grand Masters for his distinctive style. He was a pastoral science fiction writer and set many of his stories in a rural, idyllic southwestern Wisconsin though they ostensibly take place on other planets. His intelligent, independent, individualistic characters, often searching for answers to moral dilemmas, are clearly based on people he knew growing up and working as a reporter in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Simak wrote more than thirty novels, several nonfiction science books, and over a hundred short stories, all with a consistent vision and message. He deplored the violence and loss of humanity that seemed to come with man's preoccupation with technological advancement. He also emphasized that, although mankind sees itself as the only intelligent or, at least, most important life form in the universe, often the most tolerant, the most intelligent, the most ethical beings in his stories are nonhuman. Simak's impact on readers goes beyond mere quantity of output. He has become a notable author because his stories are filled with compassion, tolerance, and curiosity about life. His humor and gentleness touch our hearts; his morality and integrity awaken our consciences. In one of his most famous books, Way Station, a doorway to the universe is established on a small farm in Wisconsin. Clifford Simak has opened that door, and the door to our internal universe, for all of us. Selected Writings: All
Flesh is Grass (1965) |
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