Harold Keith
Encyclopedia
Harold Verne Keith was a Newbery Medal
-winning American author. Keith was born and raised in Oklahoma
, where he also lived and died: the state was his abiding passion. He used Oklahoma as the setting for most of his books, although Rifles for Watie
takes place elsewhere.
, Oklahoma Territory
. He attended Northwestern State Teachers College and the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a Masters Degree in history, and was also sports editor for the student newspaper. During the work for his master's thesis he interviewed 22 veterans of the Civil War who lived in the area. From 1922-1923, he was a teacher in the Aorita Consolidated School System. Keith served as the University of Oklahoma
Sports Publicity Director from 1930-1969. He had a continuing interest in long-distance running.
He died in Norman, Oklahoma
of congestive heart failure on the 24 February 1998.
He won the 1958 Newbery Medal
for his historical novel Rifles for Watie
, which is based on the interviews he did for his Master's thesis. Rifles for Watie
also won the 1964 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
.
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
-winning American author. Keith was born and raised in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, where he also lived and died: the state was his abiding passion. He used Oklahoma as the setting for most of his books, although Rifles for Watie
Rifles for Watie
Rifles for Watie is an American children's novel by Harold Keith. It was first published in 1957, and received the Newbery Medal the following year. Commonly shortened "Rifles", Rifles for Watie is written at an 8th grade advanced - 9th grade level....
takes place elsewhere.
Biography
Harold Keith was born in 1903 in LambertLambert, Oklahoma
Lambert is a town in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was six at the 2010 census.-Geography:Lambert is located at ....
, Oklahoma Territory
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.-Organization:Oklahoma Territory's...
. He attended Northwestern State Teachers College and the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a Masters Degree in history, and was also sports editor for the student newspaper. During the work for his master's thesis he interviewed 22 veterans of the Civil War who lived in the area. From 1922-1923, he was a teacher in the Aorita Consolidated School System. Keith served as the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
Sports Publicity Director from 1930-1969. He had a continuing interest in long-distance running.
He died in Norman, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
of congestive heart failure on the 24 February 1998.
He won the 1958 Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
for his historical novel Rifles for Watie
Rifles for Watie
Rifles for Watie is an American children's novel by Harold Keith. It was first published in 1957, and received the Newbery Medal the following year. Commonly shortened "Rifles", Rifles for Watie is written at an 8th grade advanced - 9th grade level....
, which is based on the interviews he did for his Master's thesis. Rifles for Watie
Rifles for Watie
Rifles for Watie is an American children's novel by Harold Keith. It was first published in 1957, and received the Newbery Medal the following year. Commonly shortened "Rifles", Rifles for Watie is written at an 8th grade advanced - 9th grade level....
also won the 1964 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was started in 1958 by Dr. David C. Davis with the assistance of Prof. Lola Pierstorff, Director Instructional Materials Center, Univ. of Wisconsin and Madeline Allen Davis, WHA Wisconsin Public Radio. Awards were presented annually at the Wisconsin Book Conference...
.
Published works
- 1937: Will Rogers, a Boy's Life, Pub by Thomas Y. CrowellThomas Y. CrowellThomas Young Crowell was the founder of Thomas Y. Crowell Co. He was a well-respected Boston bookbinder that founded his own binder in the early 1860s, which started publishing in 1876. He had at least two sons: T. Irving Crowell, who joined the business in 1882, and Jeremiah Osborne Crowell, who...
- 1941: Sports and Games, Pub by Thomas Y. CrowellThomas Y. CrowellThomas Young Crowell was the founder of Thomas Y. Crowell Co. He was a well-respected Boston bookbinder that founded his own binder in the early 1860s, which started publishing in 1876. He had at least two sons: T. Irving Crowell, who joined the business in 1882, and Jeremiah Osborne Crowell, who...
- 1951: A Pair of Captains, Pub by Thomas Y. CrowellThomas Y. CrowellThomas Young Crowell was the founder of Thomas Y. Crowell Co. He was a well-respected Boston bookbinder that founded his own binder in the early 1860s, which started publishing in 1876. He had at least two sons: T. Irving Crowell, who joined the business in 1882, and Jeremiah Osborne Crowell, who...
- 1957: Rifles for WatieRifles for WatieRifles for Watie is an American children's novel by Harold Keith. It was first published in 1957, and received the Newbery Medal the following year. Commonly shortened "Rifles", Rifles for Watie is written at an 8th grade advanced - 9th grade level....
, Pub by Thomas Y. CrowellThomas Y. CrowellThomas Young Crowell was the founder of Thomas Y. Crowell Co. He was a well-respected Boston bookbinder that founded his own binder in the early 1860s, which started publishing in 1876. He had at least two sons: T. Irving Crowell, who joined the business in 1882, and Jeremiah Osborne Crowell, who...
(1958 Newbery Award) - 1964: Baptism of Fire, Pub by cience Research Associate|year=2007 |month=Summer |journal=Sooner Magazine |volume=27 |issue=4 |pages=25–27 |url=http://www.oufoundation.org/sm/summer07/thams.asp?ID=249 |accessdate=2009-03-14 |publisher=University of OklahomaUniversity of OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
}} - 1971: The Runt of Rogers School, Pub by LippincottJ. B. Lippincott CompanyJ. B. Lippincott & Co. was an American publishing house founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1836 by Joshua Ballinger Lippincott.Formed by descendants of the Religious Society of Friends, Joshua Lippincott's company began selling a line of Bibles, prayer books and other religious works before...
(ISBN 0-397-31366-7) - 1972: Go, Red, go!, Pub by T. Nelson (ISBN 0-8407-6217-8)
- 1976: Sports and Games, Pub by HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
Children's Books; Sixth/Rev edition (ISBN 0-06-192471-7) - 1976: Susy's Scoundrel, Pub by New American LibraryNew American LibraryNew American Library is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948; it produced affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works, as well as popular, pulp, and "hard-boiled" fiction. Non-fiction, original, and hardcopy issues were also produced.Victor Weybright and Kurt...
(1974 Spur AwardSpur AwardThe Spur Award is an annual literary prize awarded by the Western Writers of America. Founded in 1953 with only four categories , the award today has expanded to include the following categories:...
) - 1977: The Obstinate Land: Cherokee Strip Run of 1893, Pub by Thomas Y. CrowellThomas Y. CrowellThomas Young Crowell was the founder of Thomas Y. Crowell Co. He was a well-respected Boston bookbinder that founded his own binder in the early 1860s, which started publishing in 1876. He had at least two sons: T. Irving Crowell, who joined the business in 1882, and Jeremiah Osborne Crowell, who...
(ISBN 0-690-01319-1) (1978 * 1978: Oklahoma Kickoff: An Informal History of the First 25 Years of Football at the University of OklahomaUniversity of OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, and of the Amusing Hardships That Attended It, Pub by Univ of Oklahoma Pr (ISBN 0-8061-1485-1) - 1984: Forty-Seven Straight: The Wilkinson Era at Oklahoma, Pub by Univ of Oklahoma Pr (ISBN 0-8061-1898-9)
- 1992: The Sound of Strings: Sequel to Komantcia, Pub by Levite of Apache Pub (ISBN 0-927562-10-3)
- 1998: Chico and Dan, Pub by Eakin Press (ISBN 1-57168-216-3)
Cassette recordings
- 1999: Rifles for WatieRifles for WatieRifles for Watie is an American children's novel by Harold Keith. It was first published in 1957, and received the Newbery Medal the following year. Commonly shortened "Rifles", Rifles for Watie is written at an 8th grade advanced - 9th grade level....
, narrator: Tom Stechschulte, Pub by Recorded Books LLC (ISBN 0-7887-3732-5) - 1999: Rifles for WatieRifles for WatieRifles for Watie is an American children's novel by Harold Keith. It was first published in 1957, and received the Newbery Medal the following year. Commonly shortened "Rifles", Rifles for Watie is written at an 8th grade advanced - 9th grade level....
unabridged, narrator: Tom Stechschulte ( Pub by Recorded Books LLC (ISBN 0-7887-3209-9)