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Helen Hooven Santmyer

February 21, 2023

Helen Hooven Santmyer (November 25, 1895 – February 21, 1986) was an American writer, educator, and librarian. She is primarily known for her best-selling epic "...And Ladies of the Club", published when she was in her 80s.[3][4]

Helen Hooven Santmyer
1984 publicity photograph, Santmyer autographing a copy of Ladies[1][2]
Born(1895-11-25)November 25, 1895
Cincinnati, Ohio
DiedFebruary 21, 1986(1986-02-21) (aged 90)
Xenia, Ohio
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • educator
  • librarian
NationalityAmerican
Notable works"...And Ladies of the Club"

Life and career

Early life and education

Santmyer was born on November 25, 1895, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the oldest child of Joseph Wright and Bertha Hooven Santmyer. Her father had been a medical student in Cincinnati, but in 1900 switched to business and moved to the Hooven family home in Xenia, Ohio, taking a position with the R.A. Kelly Company, a rope manufacturer.[5] Inspired by Louisa May Alcott, Santmyer was determined to become a writer and kept a diary from age 10.[6] She also derived inspiration from her grandfathers; both were veterans of the American Civil War and would relate stories of their service.[7] She furthermore derived negative inspiration from her mother, who she felt sacrificed a promising career as an artist for the sake of marriage and children, and was determined never to marry.[8]

As a child, Santmyer had a severe case of undulant fever. She recovered, but was left weakened for life, and sometimes subject to bed confinement with fevers[9] or a heart flutter.[10] She would always find it difficult to work and write at the same time.[11]

She was brought up Presbyterian. Her mother and grandmother were regular church attendees.[12] In later years, she no longer believed in doctrine,[13] and did not attend services.[14]

She attended Wellesley College 1914–18 and was active in the struggle for women's rights; she began publishing her poetry as an undergraduate.[15] The 1916 Alfred Noyes edited collection, A Book of Princeton Verse (poems by Princeton students), was widely read in Santmyer's circle, and strongly influenced her. She quit her clubs and committees and wrote a manifesto that appeared in The Wellesley College Magazine, May 1917, criticizing women who do not dedicate themselves to their art, the way she presumed men did.[16]

After graduation, Santmeyer took a job as an editorial secretary with Scribner's in New York City for two years. She returned to Xenia, teaching locally and at Wellesley College, during which time she wrote her first novel, Herbs and Apples, based on her life in Xenia, college, and working for Scribner's.[11] After Wellesley, Santmyer attended Oxford University in England for three years, 1924–27. During her time there, she met and befriended a fellow Xenian, the poet Ridgely Torrence.[17] She wrote a thesis on British women writers, focusing largely on Clara Reeve,[18] who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. Culminating her studies at Oxford, Santmyer was awarded a B.Litt. degree.[19]

After finishing at Oxford, Santmyer returned to Xenia. In 1927, she befriended Mildred Sandoe, a librarian, who would become her literary assistant and later her life partner until Mildred's death almost fifty years later.[20] In 1928, she joined the Xenia Woman's Club.[21][22] During this time she wrote her second novel, The Fierce Dispute, published in 1929.[23] In the summer of 1930, Santmyer became a MacDowell colonist. There, she wrote her third novel, Farewell, Summer (published posthumously) and befriended actor and playwright Daniel Reed and novelist Thornton Wilder.[24]

The Depression forced the closure of the rope factory where Santmyer's father worked. He found employment in Orange County, California, the house was sold, and the family relocated to the West Coast.[25] While in California, Santmyer started writing Ohio Town and Ladies.[11] But after three years, her father retired due to failing health. Santmyer and her parents returned to near Xenia.[25]

Main career

In 1935, she accepted the positions as Dean of Women and English department head at Cedarville College, in Cedarville, Ohio, then chartered as a Reformed Presbyterian college. During this time her writing continued, but because of her health, very slowly.[11][26] In 1953, Cedarville College was purchased by a Baptist association, which demanded faculty to adhere to their Biblical literalism, and did not permit smoking or drinking. Santmyer resigned from the faculty.[27]

Santmyer and her parents moved back to the former Hooven family home, which had been repurchased by her brother-in-law. Santmyer's friend Sandoe, then working at the Dayton Public Library, found a position there for Santmyer as a research librarian, and provided the daily commute. Santmyer's father died in 1954, and her mother died in 1955. Sandoe then moved into the Santmyer house.[28]

Retirement and main writing

Upon retirement in 1959, Santmyer returned to full-time writing, publishing Ohio Town, reminiscences of Xenia, in 1962 with Ohio State University Press.[29] The director of OSU Press encouraged her to publish with them again. Santmyer then wrote the bulk of Ladies, submitting it to OSU Press in 1976, which accepted it, but required heavy abridgment. Also as of 1976, Santmyer had the first of several stays in Hospitality Home East, a Xenia nursing home, where most of the revision was done.[1]

In 1982, "...And Ladies of the Club" was published obscurely by OSU Press: it was the publisher's second novel, there was no separate advertising budget, and only a few hundred copies of the book were sold, mostly to Ohio libraries.[1][30] By April 1983, nearly blind and suffering from emphysema, Santmyer moved permanently into the nursing home.[1][21][29] By chance, the novel ended up being read by some in the Hollywood entertainment industry who saw its potential for a larger audience. This led to the book's republication by Putnam in 1984 and its becoming a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. Both Santmyer and the novel subsequently received considerable media attention with the novel becoming a best-seller.[3]

Santmyer died at the age of 90 on February 21, 1986.[3]

The former Hooven family home on 113 West 3rd Street, Xenia, has been marked with an Ohio Historical Marker by the Ohio Historical Connection.

Bibliography

Published

Unpublished

  • The Life and Works of Clara Reeve (1927 thesis, 513 pages)[18]
  • The Hall with Eight Doors (363 pages)[4][18][31]

Awards and achievements

  • 1964, Florence Roberts Head Award, for Ohio Town[32]
  • 1983, Ohioana Book Award in the category of fiction, for "...And Ladies of the Club"[33]
  • 1984, 37 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, seven weeks at number-one (Ladies)[34]
  • 1984, inducted into Ohio Women's Hall of Fame[35]
  • 1984, Honorary Degree, Wright State University[36]
  • 1985, Central State University held a conference on Ladies[37]
  • 1985, Ohio Governor's Award[31]
  • 1987, 4 consecutive weeks on the New York Times paperback bestseller list (Herbs and Apples)[38]

Legacy

  • The Helen Hooven Santmyer Prize, awarded annually since 1991 in the amount of $2500, was established by the OSU Press for the "best book-length manuscript on the contributions of women, their lives and experiences, and their role in society."[39]
  • The Helen Hooven Santmyer Award for Excellence is a college scholarship.[40]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d McDowell, Edwin (January 12, 1984). "Happy End for Novelist's 50-Year Effort". New York Times. p. A1.
  2. ^ "Literary Success at 88". Chicago Tribune. January 13, 1984. p. 11.
  3. ^ a b c Mitgang, Herbert (February 22, 1986). "Helen Hooven Santmyer, 90, Author and Educator, Dies". New York Times.
  4. ^ a b Colby, Vineta, ed. (1995). "Santmyer, Helen Hooven". World Authors, 1985–1990. New York: H. W. Wilson. pp. 771–74.
  5. ^ Quay 1995, p. 9.
  6. ^ Quay 1995, pp. 10–1.
  7. ^ Quay 1995, p. 15.
  8. ^ Quay 1995, p. 34.
  9. ^ Quay 1995, pp. 51–2.
  10. ^ Quay 1995, pp. 87–8.
  11. ^ a b c d Santmyer, Helen Hooven (1985). "Introduction to the 1985 Edition". Herbs and Apples. Ohio State University Press.
  12. ^ Santmyer 1962, p. 127.
  13. ^ Santmyer 1962, p. 140.
  14. ^ Santmyer 1962, pp. 150–53.
  15. ^ See, for example, #External links
  16. ^ Quay 1995, pp. 27–35.
  17. ^ Quay 1995, pp. 95–6.
  18. ^ a b c Shahmeer Azmat (February 21, 2012). "Helen Hooven Santmyer Papers". The Ohio State University Libraries: Rare Books and Manuscripts. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  19. ^ Quay 1995, p. 87.
  20. ^ Quay 1995, p. 114.
  21. ^ a b Howard, Jane (June 1984). "Portrait: Helen Hooven Santmyer". Life. pp. 31–6.
  22. ^ Galloway, Paul (June 10, 1984). "Move over, Jane Austen—Miss Santmyer has finally arrived". Chicago Tribune, Sunday Tempo. p. A1.
  23. ^ Quay 1995, p. 100.
  24. ^ Quay 1995, pp. 103–6.
  25. ^ a b Quay 1995, p. 107.
  26. ^ Quay 1995, p. 115 quotes the May 1939 Wellesley Purple Page writing of Santmeyer that she has "finished another manuscript."
  27. ^ Quay 1995, p. 116  All the previous faculty would be dismissed anyway.
  28. ^ Quay 1995, pp. 119–21.
  29. ^ a b Galloway, Paul (June 10, 1984). "Move over, Jane Austen — Miss Santmyer has finally arrived". Chicago Tribune Sunday Tempo. p. 1.
  30. ^ Corwin, Stanley J. (1984). "Author's Note". How to Become a Bestselling Author. pp. 3–8. ISBN 0-89879-129-4.
  31. ^ a b "Helen Hooven Santmyer". Ohioana Authors. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  32. ^ . Ohioana Library. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  33. ^ . Ohioana Library. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  34. ^ . Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  35. ^ "Helen Santmyer". Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  36. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients" (PDF). Wright State University. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  37. ^ Fleissner, Robert (June 1986). "Review of "… And Ladies of the Club," by Helen Hooven Santmyer". CLA Journal. 29: 486–89.
  38. ^ "New York Times Book Review Paperback Best Sellers". The New York Times. May 3, 1987. p. BR40.
  39. ^ "Professional Notes and Comment". PMLA. 105 (3): 562–584. May 1990. doi:10.1632/S0030812900069923. JSTOR 462905. S2CID 251022779.
  40. ^ . Xenia Gazette. June 9, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.

Further reading

  • Barry, Anne (Autumn 1984). "Helen Hooven Santmyer: 'I Awoke One Morning and Found Myself Famous' (Lord Byron)". Ohioana Quarterly. 27: 88–89.
  • Briggs-Bunting, Jane (July 16, 1984). "At 88, Helen Santmyer Belatedly Joins the Club of Big Best-Selling Novelists". People. 22 (3).
  • Quay, Joyce Crosby (1995). Early Promise, Late Reward: A Biography of Helen Hooven Santmyer, author of "...And Ladies of the Club". Knowledge, Ideas and Trends.
  • Santmyer, Helen Hooven (1962). Ohio Town. Ohio State University Press.
  • Thackrey, Ted Jr. (February 22, 1986). "'...And Ladies of the Club': Helen Santmyer Dies; Wrote '84 Best-Seller". Los Angeles Times.
  • "Happy endings...". Chicago Tribune. January 19, 1984. p. N24.

External links

  • The Helen Hooven Santmyer Papers The Ohio State University's Rare Books & Manuscripts Library
  • Helen Hooven Santmyer at Find a Grave
  • Santmyer, Helen (July 1917). "Little Brother". The Wellesley College Magazine. XXV (10): 23.
  • Santmyer, Helen (January 1921). "The Dusk Comes Swiftly Now". The Wellesley Alumnae Quarterly. V (2): 107.
  • Santmyer, Helen (January 1921). "The Haunted Spring". The Wellesley Alumnae Quarterly. V (2): 107.
  • Santmyer, Helen (April 1921). "For Old Beliefs". The Midland. VII (4): 146.
  • Santmyer, Helen (December 1921). "Swifter than the Wind Itself". The Midland. VII (12): 444–5.
  • Santmyer, Helen (December 1921). "The Prairie Town". The Bookman. LIV (4): 366.

February 21, 2023
helen, hooven, santmyer, november, 1895, february, 1986, american, writer, educator, librarian, primarily, known, best, selling, epic, ladies, club, published, when, 1984, publicity, photograph, santmyer, autographing, copy, ladies, born, 1895, november, 1895c. Helen Hooven Santmyer November 25 1895 February 21 1986 was an American writer educator and librarian She is primarily known for her best selling epic And Ladies of the Club published when she was in her 80s 3 4 Helen Hooven Santmyer1984 publicity photograph Santmyer autographing a copy of Ladies 1 2 Born 1895 11 25 November 25 1895Cincinnati OhioDiedFebruary 21 1986 1986 02 21 aged 90 Xenia OhioOccupationNovelist educator librarianNationalityAmericanNotable works And Ladies of the Club Contents 1 Life and career 1 1 Early life and education 1 2 Main career 1 3 Retirement and main writing 2 Bibliography 2 1 Published 2 2 Unpublished 3 Awards and achievements 4 Legacy 5 Notes 6 Further reading 7 External linksLife and career EditEarly life and education Edit Santmyer was born on November 25 1895 in Cincinnati Ohio the oldest child of Joseph Wright and Bertha Hooven Santmyer Her father had been a medical student in Cincinnati but in 1900 switched to business and moved to the Hooven family home in Xenia Ohio taking a position with the R A Kelly Company a rope manufacturer 5 Inspired by Louisa May Alcott Santmyer was determined to become a writer and kept a diary from age 10 6 She also derived inspiration from her grandfathers both were veterans of the American Civil War and would relate stories of their service 7 She furthermore derived negative inspiration from her mother who she felt sacrificed a promising career as an artist for the sake of marriage and children and was determined never to marry 8 As a child Santmyer had a severe case of undulant fever She recovered but was left weakened for life and sometimes subject to bed confinement with fevers 9 or a heart flutter 10 She would always find it difficult to work and write at the same time 11 She was brought up Presbyterian Her mother and grandmother were regular church attendees 12 In later years she no longer believed in doctrine 13 and did not attend services 14 She attended Wellesley College 1914 18 and was active in the struggle for women s rights she began publishing her poetry as an undergraduate 15 The 1916 Alfred Noyes edited collection A Book of Princeton Verse poems by Princeton students was widely read in Santmyer s circle and strongly influenced her She quit her clubs and committees and wrote a manifesto that appeared in The Wellesley College Magazine May 1917 criticizing women who do not dedicate themselves to their art the way she presumed men did 16 After graduation Santmeyer took a job as an editorial secretary with Scribner s in New York City for two years She returned to Xenia teaching locally and at Wellesley College during which time she wrote her first novel Herbs and Apples based on her life in Xenia college and working for Scribner s 11 After Wellesley Santmyer attended Oxford University in England for three years 1924 27 During her time there she met and befriended a fellow Xenian the poet Ridgely Torrence 17 She wrote a thesis on British women writers focusing largely on Clara Reeve 18 who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries Culminating her studies at Oxford Santmyer was awarded a B Litt degree 19 After finishing at Oxford Santmyer returned to Xenia In 1927 she befriended Mildred Sandoe a librarian who would become her literary assistant and later her life partner until Mildred s death almost fifty years later 20 In 1928 she joined the Xenia Woman s Club 21 22 During this time she wrote her second novel The Fierce Dispute published in 1929 23 In the summer of 1930 Santmyer became a MacDowell colonist There she wrote her third novel Farewell Summer published posthumously and befriended actor and playwright Daniel Reed and novelist Thornton Wilder 24 The Depression forced the closure of the rope factory where Santmyer s father worked He found employment in Orange County California the house was sold and the family relocated to the West Coast 25 While in California Santmyer started writing Ohio Town and Ladies 11 But after three years her father retired due to failing health Santmyer and her parents returned to near Xenia 25 Main career Edit In 1935 she accepted the positions as Dean of Women and English department head at Cedarville College in Cedarville Ohio then chartered as a Reformed Presbyterian college During this time her writing continued but because of her health very slowly 11 26 In 1953 Cedarville College was purchased by a Baptist association which demanded faculty to adhere to their Biblical literalism and did not permit smoking or drinking Santmyer resigned from the faculty 27 Santmyer and her parents moved back to the former Hooven family home which had been repurchased by her brother in law Santmyer s friend Sandoe then working at the Dayton Public Library found a position there for Santmyer as a research librarian and provided the daily commute Santmyer s father died in 1954 and her mother died in 1955 Sandoe then moved into the Santmyer house 28 Retirement and main writing Edit Upon retirement in 1959 Santmyer returned to full time writing publishing Ohio Town reminiscences of Xenia in 1962 with Ohio State University Press 29 The director of OSU Press encouraged her to publish with them again Santmyer then wrote the bulk of Ladies submitting it to OSU Press in 1976 which accepted it but required heavy abridgment Also as of 1976 Santmyer had the first of several stays in Hospitality Home East a Xenia nursing home where most of the revision was done 1 In 1982 And Ladies of the Club was published obscurely by OSU Press it was the publisher s second novel there was no separate advertising budget and only a few hundred copies of the book were sold mostly to Ohio libraries 1 30 By April 1983 nearly blind and suffering from emphysema Santmyer moved permanently into the nursing home 1 21 29 By chance the novel ended up being read by some in the Hollywood entertainment industry who saw its potential for a larger audience This led to the book s republication by Putnam in 1984 and its becoming a main selection of the Book of the Month Club Both Santmyer and the novel subsequently received considerable media attention with the novel becoming a best seller 3 Santmyer died at the age of 90 on February 21 1986 3 The former Hooven family home on 113 West 3rd Street Xenia has been marked with an Ohio Historical Marker by the Ohio Historical Connection Bibliography EditPublished Edit Herbs and Apples 1925 The Fierce Dispute 1929 Ohio Town 1962 And Ladies of the Club 1982 Farewell Summer 1988 Unpublished Edit The Life and Works of Clara Reeve 1927 thesis 513 pages 18 The Hall with Eight Doors 363 pages 4 18 31 Awards and achievements Edit1964 Florence Roberts Head Award for Ohio Town 32 1983 Ohioana Book Award in the category of fiction for And Ladies of the Club 33 1984 37 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list seven weeks at number one Ladies 34 1984 inducted into Ohio Women s Hall of Fame 35 1984 Honorary Degree Wright State University 36 1985 Central State University held a conference on Ladies 37 1985 Ohio Governor s Award 31 1987 4 consecutive weeks on the New York Times paperback bestseller list Herbs and Apples 38 Legacy EditThe Helen Hooven Santmyer Prize awarded annually since 1991 in the amount of 2500 was established by the OSU Press for the best book length manuscript on the contributions of women their lives and experiences and their role in society 39 The Helen Hooven Santmyer Award for Excellence is a college scholarship 40 Notes Edit a b c d McDowell Edwin January 12 1984 Happy End for Novelist s 50 Year Effort New York Times p A1 Literary Success at 88 Chicago Tribune January 13 1984 p 11 a b c Mitgang Herbert February 22 1986 Helen Hooven Santmyer 90 Author and Educator Dies New York Times a b Colby Vineta ed 1995 Santmyer Helen Hooven World Authors 1985 1990 New York H W Wilson pp 771 74 Quay 1995 p 9 Quay 1995 pp 10 1 Quay 1995 p 15 Quay 1995 p 34 Quay 1995 pp 51 2 Quay 1995 pp 87 8 a b c d Santmyer Helen Hooven 1985 Introduction to the 1985 Edition Herbs and Apples Ohio State University Press Santmyer 1962 p 127 Santmyer 1962 p 140 Santmyer 1962 pp 150 53 See for example External links Quay 1995 pp 27 35 Quay 1995 pp 95 6 a b c Shahmeer Azmat February 21 2012 Helen Hooven Santmyer Papers The Ohio State University Libraries Rare Books and Manuscripts a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty url help Quay 1995 p 87 Quay 1995 p 114 a b Howard Jane June 1984 Portrait Helen Hooven Santmyer Life pp 31 6 Galloway Paul June 10 1984 Move over Jane Austen Miss Santmyer has finally arrived Chicago Tribune Sunday Tempo p A1 Quay 1995 p 100 Quay 1995 pp 103 6 a b Quay 1995 p 107 Quay 1995 p 115 quotes the May 1939 Wellesley Purple Page writing of Santmeyer that she has finished another manuscript Quay 1995 p 116 All the previous faculty would be dismissed anyway Quay 1995 pp 119 21 a b Galloway Paul June 10 1984 Move over Jane Austen Miss Santmyer has finally arrived Chicago Tribune Sunday Tempo p 1 Corwin Stanley J 1984 Author s Note How to Become a Bestselling Author pp 3 8 ISBN 0 89879 129 4 a b Helen Hooven Santmyer Ohioana Authors Retrieved October 3 2014 Ohioana Florence Roberts Head Book Award Winners Ohioana Library Archived from the original on March 21 2015 Retrieved October 3 2014 Ohioana Book Award Winners Fiction Ohioana Library Archived from the original on October 6 2014 Retrieved October 2 2014 Santmyer Helen Hooven Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library Archived from the original on October 6 2014 Retrieved October 3 2014 Helen Santmyer Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services Retrieved October 3 2014 Honorary Degree Recipients PDF Wright State University Retrieved October 3 2014 Fleissner Robert June 1986 Review of And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer CLA Journal 29 486 89 New York Times Book Review Paperback Best Sellers The New York Times May 3 1987 p BR40 Professional Notes and Comment PMLA 105 3 562 584 May 1990 doi 10 1632 S0030812900069923 JSTOR 462905 S2CID 251022779 Xenia High School scholarship recipients Xenia Gazette June 9 2014 Archived from the original on October 6 2014 Retrieved October 3 2014 Further reading EditBarry Anne Autumn 1984 Helen Hooven Santmyer I Awoke One Morning and Found Myself Famous Lord Byron Ohioana Quarterly 27 88 89 Briggs Bunting Jane July 16 1984 At 88 Helen Santmyer Belatedly Joins the Club of Big Best Selling Novelists People 22 3 Quay Joyce Crosby 1995 Early Promise Late Reward A Biography of Helen Hooven Santmyer author of And Ladies of the Club Knowledge Ideas and Trends Santmyer Helen Hooven 1962 Ohio Town Ohio State University Press Thackrey Ted Jr February 22 1986 And Ladies of the Club Helen Santmyer Dies Wrote 84 Best Seller Los Angeles Times Happy endings Chicago Tribune January 19 1984 p N24 External links EditThe Helen Hooven Santmyer Papers The Ohio State University s Rare Books amp Manuscripts Library Helen Hooven Santmyer at Find a Grave Santmyer Helen July 1917 Little Brother The Wellesley College Magazine XXV 10 23 Santmyer Helen January 1921 The Dusk Comes Swiftly Now The Wellesley Alumnae Quarterly V 2 107 Santmyer Helen January 1921 The Haunted Spring The Wellesley Alumnae Quarterly V 2 107 Santmyer Helen April 1921 For Old Beliefs The Midland VII 4 146 Santmyer Helen December 1921 Swifter than the Wind Itself The Midland VII 12 444 5 Santmyer Helen December 1921 The Prairie Town The Bookman LIV 4 366 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Helen Hooven Santmyer amp oldid 1140660288, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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