Born: 1978 Ohio connection: Birth Cleveland James Renner, novelist, freelance journalist, and former newspaper editor, graduated from Kent State University in 2000 with a degree in English. He has also taught creative writing. Renner’s nonfiction books focus on unsolved crimes and strange stories from Ohio. While working as a staff writer for the alternative weekly, Cleveland Scene …
Read More James RennerBorn: March 9, 1904Died: October 1, 1983 Ohio connection: Birth Springfield Marion Renick was born Marion Lewis, the daughter of Bertram Charles and Anna (Washway) Lewis, in 1904 in Springfield, Ohio. From early childhood, she was an avid sports enthusiast and played various games on the sports fields at nearby Wittenberg University (WU) as well …
Read More Marion RenickBorn: April 30, 1888Died: July 3, 1974 Ohio connection: Resident Gambier Poet, editor, educator, and literary critic John Crowe Ransom was the son of Methodist minister John James Ransom (also a noted scholar and linguist) and Sara Ella (neé Crowe) Ransom. Born April 30, 1888 in Pulaski, Tennessee, Ransom was educated at home until, in …
Read More John Crowe RansomBorn: July 17, 1914Died: March 13, 2009Ohio connection: Birth Hicksville James Otis Purdy, son of William and Vera Otis Purdy, was born July 17, 1914, in Hicksville, Ohio. He was the middle child of three boys, with another boy having died before James was born. His parents were divorced during his youth, and he lived alternately …
Read More James PurdyBorn: November 28, 1896Died: November 14, 1965 Ohio connection: Birth Mount Gilead Novelist and playwright Dawn Powell, daughter of Roy K. and Hattie B. (Sherman) Powell, was born in 1896 in Mount Gilead, Ohio. Because her father was a traveling salesman and her mother died when Dawn was only six years old, the young Dawn was …
Read More Dawn PowellBorn: 1962 Ohio connection: Resident Cleveland Rick Porrello is a veteran Cleveland-area police officer who grew up in a family with Mafia roots. His grandfather and three of his uncles were mob leaders who were killed during Prohibition-era violence. His popular book, The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia (1995), grew out of research on his family. …
Read More Rick PorrelloBorn: 1966 Ohio connection: Birth Cleveland Dav Pilkey, son of David M. and Barbara (Pembridge) Pilkey, was born in 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio. He was considered to be a “class clown” during his years at parochial schools in Elyria, Ohio. He also struggled with attention deficit disorder, and had numerous difficulties with teachers. It wasn`t until …
Read More Dav PilkeyBorn: January 2, 1900Died: May 10, 1980 Ohio connection: Birth Delphos Leslie Copus Peltier, son of Stanley William and Resa (Copus) Peltier, was born in 1900 in Delphos, Ohio. Growing up on a farm in the country, he quickly developed a great love for nature. His mother introduced him to the wonders of the night sky by …
Read More Leslie Copus PeltierBorn: 1966 Ohio connection: Birth Silver Lake A native Ohioan, Shelley Pearsall has enjoyed writing and history since childhood. Before publishing, she was a public school teacher and a museum historian. In her spare time, she wrote historical scripts and short stories for Cleveland-area museums. Shelley Pearsall’s work and writing often has been influenced by her love …
Read More Shelley PearsallBorn: May 31, 1898 Died: December 24, 1993 Ohio connection: Birth Bowersville A staunch practitioner of positive thinking and prayer, Norman Vincent Peale utilized mass media to share with hundreds of people his message of faith and hope. A stirring, dynamic, and innovative speaker who increased church attendance at numerous congregations, Peale was born in Bowersville, Ohio, …
Read More Peale, Norman Vincent