Helen Hooven Santmyer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Helen Hooven Santmyer
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1984 publicity photograph, Santmyer autographing a copy of Ladies
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| Born | November 25, 1895 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | February 21, 1986 (aged 90) Xenia, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Notable works | "...And Ladies of the Club" |
Helen Hooven Santmyer (born November 25, 1895 – died February 21, 1986) was an American author, teacher, and librarian. She is best known for her very popular book, "...And Ladies of the Club". This long novel became a bestseller when she was in her 80s!
Contents
Life and Career
Growing Up and School
Helen Hooven Santmyer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 25, 1895. She was the oldest child of Joseph Wright and Bertha Hooven Santmyer. When she was young, her family moved to Xenia, Ohio.
Helen loved to read and write. She was inspired by the famous author Louisa May Alcott and started keeping a diary when she was just 10 years old. Her grandfathers, who fought in the American Civil War, also inspired her with their stories. Helen also saw her mother give up her dream of being an artist for her family. This made Helen determined to focus on her own career and never marry.
When she was a child, Helen had a serious illness that made her weak for the rest of her life. It was often hard for her to work and write at the same time.
Helen went to Wellesley College from 1914 to 1918. While there, she became active in the fight for women's rights, which meant working for equal opportunities for women. She also started publishing her poems. She wrote an article for her college magazine, encouraging women to focus on their art and talents.
Early Career and Writing
After college, Helen worked for two years as an editorial secretary at a publishing company called Scribner's in New York City. She then returned to Xenia and taught locally, as well as at Wellesley College. During this time, she wrote her first novel, Herbs and Apples. This book was based on her own experiences in Xenia, college, and working in New York.
From 1924 to 1927, Helen studied at Oxford University in England. She earned a special degree called a Bachelor of Letters (B.Litt.). While in Oxford, she met and became friends with another writer from Xenia, Ridgely Torrence.
After Oxford, Helen went back to Xenia. In 1927, she became close friends with Mildred Sandoe, a librarian. Mildred helped Helen with her writing and later lived with her for almost 50 years. Helen joined the Xenia Woman's Club in 1928. She wrote her second novel, The Fierce Dispute, which was published in 1929. In 1930, she spent time at the MacDowell Colony, a place where artists can focus on their work. There, she wrote her third novel, Farewell, Summer, and met famous people like author Thornton Wilder.
During the Great Depression, a difficult economic time, Helen's father lost his job. The family moved to California for three years. While there, Helen started writing Ohio Town and Ladies. When her father retired due to poor health, Helen and her parents moved back near Xenia.
Teaching and Library Work
In 1935, Helen became the Dean of Women and head of the English department at Cedarville College in Cedarville, Ohio. She continued to write, but slowly, because of her health. In 1953, the college changed its rules, and Helen resigned from her teaching job.
Helen and her parents moved back to their old family home in Xenia. Helen's friend Mildred Sandoe helped her get a job as a research librarian at the Dayton Public Library. Mildred also drove her to work every day. After her parents passed away in 1954 and 1955, Mildred moved into Helen's house.
Retirement and Famous Book
When Helen retired in 1959, she started writing full-time again. In 1962, she published Ohio Town, a book about her memories of Xenia. The publisher encouraged her to write another book.
Helen then spent many years writing her most famous novel, "...And Ladies of the Club". She finished most of it by 1976 and sent it to the Ohio State University Press. They agreed to publish it but asked her to make it much shorter. Around this time, Helen began staying in a nursing home in Xenia due to her health. She did most of the book's final changes there.
In 1982, "...And Ladies of the Club" was first published. It was not well-known at first, and only a few hundred copies were sold, mostly to libraries in Ohio. By April 1983, Helen was nearly blind and had breathing problems, so she moved into the nursing home permanently.
However, by chance, some people in the entertainment industry in Hollywood read her novel and saw its potential. This led to a bigger publisher, Putnam, re-releasing the book in 1984. It became a main choice for the Book-of-the-Month Club. Suddenly, Helen and her book received a lot of attention from the media, and the novel became a huge bestseller!
Helen Santmyer passed away on February 21, 1986, at the age of 90.
Her former family home in Xenia has been marked with an Ohio Historical Marker, recognizing her importance.
Awards and Achievements
- 1964: Florence Roberts Head Award, for Ohio Town
- 1983: Ohioana Book Award (fiction category), for "...And Ladies of the Club"
- 1984: "...And Ladies of the Club" spent 37 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, with seven weeks at number one.
- 1984: Inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame
- 1984: Received an Honorary Degree from Wright State University
- 1985: Central State University held a conference about "...And Ladies of the Club"
- 1985: Ohio Governor's Award
- 1987: Herbs and Apples spent 4 weeks on the New York Times paperback bestseller list
Legacy
- The Helen Hooven Santmyer Prize: This award, given annually since 1991, provides $2500 for the best book about the lives and contributions of women in society.
- The Helen Hooven Santmyer Award for Excellence: This is a college scholarship given to students.
