Harold Keith
Harold Keith was an American author and educator, born on April 8, 1903, in the Oklahoma Territory. His early passion for writing was nurtured by his parents, leading him to publish his first story at the age of fourteen. After studying at Northwestern State Teachers College and the University of Oklahoma, he became known for his work in sports journalism and education. Keith served as the sports publicity director at the University of Oklahoma until his retirement in 1969, while also pursuing his writing career in the evenings and weekends. He authored several notable works, including his acclaimed novel "Rifles for Watie," which won the Newbery Medal in 1958, and focused on themes of Oklahoma history and sports. Throughout his life, he maintained a commitment to thorough research, often interviewing individuals to enhance the authenticity of his narratives. In addition to his literary achievements, Keith was an avid long-distance runner, setting national records in the early 1970s. He passed away on February 24, 1998, at the age of ninety-four, leaving behind a legacy of impactful literature for young readers.
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Harold Keith
Writer
- Born: April 8, 1903
- Birthplace: Lambert, Oklahoma Territory (now in Oklahoma)
- Died: February 24, 1998
- Place of death: Norman, Oklahoma
Biography
Harold Keith was born on April 8, 1903, in Lambert in the Oklahoma Territory. His father, Malcolm Arrowwood Keith, was a grain buyer, and his mother, Arlyn Kee Keith, was a homemaker. Both parents loved reading and encouraged Keith to read and write from an early age. When he was fourteen years old he published his first story, “Dick Moore and His Big Game,” in Lone Scout Magazine. During high school, he was sports editor of his school news magazine and also contributed cartoons.
Keith studied at Northwestern State Teachers College (now Northwestern Oklahoma State University) from 1921 to 1924, and spent a year as a seventh grade teacher in Amorita, Oklahoma. He ran track in college and helped support himself by working as a sports correspondent for several newspapers in Oklahoma and Missouri. Keith graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in history in 1929, and spent a year working as an assistant to a grain buyer in Hutchinson, Kansas, before returning to the University of Oklahoma to become sports publicity director in 1930. He remained in that job until his retirement in 1969. In 1931 he married Virginia Livingston; the couple had two children, John Livingston and Kathleen Ann.
Keith was interested in Oklahoma history and his research into the importance of Will Rogers’s father, Clem Rogers, led to a master’s thesis in history completed in 1938, and to Keith’s first book, Boys’ Life of Will Rogers (1937). Keith continued to write, primarily at night and on weekends, while he worked for the university, also finding time for quail hunting and trout fishing. In addition to sports articles and sports short stories for magazines, he wrote books about sports, including Oklahoma Kickoff (1948), a history of football at the University of Oklahoma, and historical novels for boys. He took courses in professional writing at the university from 1953 to 1956, and in 1957 he published his most important novel, Rifles for Watie, about two boys, a young Union spy named Jefferson Davis Bussey and a Cherokee named Stand Watie. The novel was praised for being as accurate as it was exciting, qualities Keith attributed to his writing courses.
After retiring from the university in 1969, Keith was able to devote more time to writing, breaking up hours at his desk with long-distance running. He set national records for long-distance events in 1973 and 1974. During his career, he published thirteen books for young readers, most involving Oklahoma history or sports, and three adult books about sports. He died of congestive heart failure on February 24, 1998, at the age of ninety-four.
Rifles for Watie won the Newbery Medal in 1958. Another novel for boys, The Runt of Rogers School (1971), was chosen by Arkansas schoolchildren as the best book of the year. Keith thoroughly researched every book, often interviewing people whose experiences echoed those in his work, and this attention to detail continues to elicit praise.