Elizabeth Stevenson | |
---|---|
Born | Ancón, Panama | June 13, 1919
Died | July 30, 1999 Decatur, Georgia | (aged 80)
Notable awards | Bancroft Prize (1956), Guggenheim Fellowship (1951 and 1958) |
Elizabeth Stevenson (June 13, 1919 – July 30, 1999) was an American author. In 1956, Stevenson became the first woman recipient of the Bancroft Prize which she won for her book Henry Adams: A Biography. She was also awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1951 and 1958.
Stevenson was born at Ancón, Panama, on June 13, 1919, in the Panama Canal Zone.[1][2] She first grew up in Great Falls, Montana,[3] then lived in Atlanta, Georgia, as a teenager.[4] For her post-secondary education, Stevenson went to Agnes Scott College for a Bachelor of Arts in the early 1940s.[5]
Stevenson began her career at Southern Bell during the 1940s.[4] She also worked for the War Production Board and War Assets Administration by 1947.[5] The following year, she joined the Atlanta Public Library as an assistant and remained there until 1956.[2] From the early 1960s to late 1970s, Stevenson was a secretary at Emory University.[6] In 1976, she was the "first female faculty member" at the Institute for the Liberal Arts with Emory.[7] Stevenson remained at the university until her retirement in 1986 and given the title of emeritus.[8]
As an author, Stevenson wrote about Henry James with her 1949 book titled The Crooked Corridor: A Study of Henry James.[9] In 1955, Stevenson moved on to Henry Adams with Henry Adams: A Biography.[10] Stevenson continued her publications on Adams as the editor for A Henry Adams Reader during 1958.[11] In 1960, Stevenson was chosen to work as a judge for the National Book Award for Nonfiction.[12][13]
She then moved on to Lafcadio Hearn when she released Lafcadio Hearn: A Biography the following year.[2] As a contributor, she was a part of Pride and Prejudice's 1962 re-release.[14] She expanded her writings in 1967 with the release of Babbitts and Bohemians: The American 1920s.[15] Her book on Frederick Law Olmsted, Park Maker: A Life of Frederick Law Olmsted, was released ten years later.[16]
During 1979, Stevenson planned to use the history of Montana as the subject of her publication.[3] Stevenson continued to write with her 1994 book titled Figures in a Western Landscape: Men and Women of the Northern Rockies.[17] Some people in her book included Calamity Jane, Osborne Russell and Pretty Shield.[18]
Before conducting research, Stevenson created bibliographies for her publications.[19] Some places she went to for her book on Hearn include Japan and Martinique.[20][19] Ray Murphy of The Boston Globe said "maps or diagrams ... would have been helpful" for Stevenson's biography on Olmsted.[21]
From the Georgia Writers Association, The Crooked Corridor won the Literary Achievement category in 1950.[22] Henry Adams was the non-fiction recipient during the 1956 edition of the GWA awards.[23] That year, Henry Adams received the Bancroft Prize.[24] With her win, Stevenson was the Bancroft Prize's first female recipient.[25][26] While in Atlanta, Stevenson won the city's 1955 Woman of the Year in Arts award during 1956.[4] Her book on Hearn was selected as a GWA winner in 1962.[27]
Stevenson was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship twice in 1951 and 1958.[28] She received a research stipend for her Olmsted biography from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1974.[29] The following year, she was given a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies for this book.[30]
Stevenson died of cancer on July 30, 1999, at Peachtree Hospice in the DeKalb Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia. Her remains were cremated and a memorial service was held at Decatur on August 1, 1999.[31]