Marion Marsh Brown
Marion Marsh Brown was an influential American author and educator born in 1908 on a farm in Brownsville, Nebraska. She demonstrated early academic talent, winning a writing contest at the age of ten, and completed high school and college by the age of fifteen. After teaching high school, she returned to academia as a professor of English at Peru State University, where she also earned a master's degree, focusing her thesis on author Willa Cather. Brown began her writing career with the publication of her first book, "Young Nathan," in 1949, which was aimed at young adult readers. Over her career, she authored numerous works, both fictional and nonfictional, exploring historical figures and themes, including the portrayal of Sacagawea in her 1988 book, which highlighted her role in the Lewis and Clark expedition. Brown received various accolades, including the Sower Award and recognition as one of Nebraska's ten most important writers in the late 1950s. She continued to write until her passing in Omaha in 2001, leaving behind a legacy of literature that celebrates her heritage and influences on young readers.
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Marion Marsh Brown
Writer
- Born: July 22, 1908
- Birthplace: Brownville, Nebraska
- Died: February 25, 2001
- Place of death: Omaha, Nebraska
Biography
Marion Marsh Brown was born on a farm in Brownsville, Nebraska, in 1908. She began her education at a one-room school, and when she was ten she won a writing contest sponsored by the Omaha Bee newspaper. As a precocious student, Brown completed high school and entered college at age fifteen. After teaching high school, she taught English at Peru State University, her alma mater, and earned a master’s degree, writing her thesis on author Willa Cather.
Her marriage in 1937 to Gilbert Brown, an attorney from Omaha, Nebraska, and the birth of a son, Paul, kept her from resuming full-time teaching until 1954. She continued to write, and in 1949 she published her first book, Young Nathan, a fictionalized account of the life of Nathan Hale, written for young adults. She subsequently wrote many other books about historical figures for young adults, publishing works of both fiction and nonfiction. In addition, she wrote about her native Nebraska and about Native American culture. In Sacagawea: Indian Interpreter to Lewis and Clark, published in 1988, she recounted the importance of the famous explorers’ equally famous guide.
Brown received numerous awards, among them the Sower Award from the Nebraska Humanities Council, the Mari Sandoz Award from the Nebraska Library Association, and two Junior Literary Guild Awards. In the late 1950’s, she was recognized by the Nebraska Council of Teachers of English as one of Nebraska’s ten most important writers. She died in Omaha in 2001.