David McCord
David McCord was a notable American author, best known for his contributions to children's poetry. Born on November 15, 1897, in New York City, he spent his formative years in various locations including Long Island, New York, and Oregon. Although he did not begin his literary career until after his retirement, McCord was deeply involved in academia, attending Harvard University, where he earned degrees in physics and romance languages, and served as the executive director of the Harvard Fund Council for several decades.
His first significant collection of poetry for children, "Far and Few: Rhymes of the Never Was and Always Is," was published in 1952, leading to the release of "One at a Time: His Collected Poems for the Young" in 1977, which compiled many of his earlier works. McCord's poetry is characterized by its playful engagement with language and its celebration of nature, childhood, and the seasons, emphasizing exploration and creativity rather than moral lessons. He was also an accomplished painter and wrote visual poems. McCord received numerous accolades throughout his career, including National Book Award nominations and a Guggenheim fellowship, highlighting his impact on children's literature and poetry. His legacy is marked by a genuine respect for young readers, as demonstrated by his frequent visits to schools where he encouraged creative expression.
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David McCord
Poet
- Born: November 15, 1897
- Birthplace: New York, New York
- Died: April 13, 1997
Biography
A prolific author of children’s poetry, David McCord did not begin publishing the works for which he is best known until retirement. McCord was born in New York City on November 15, 1897, the only child of Joseph Alexander and Eleanore Baynton (Reed) McCord. McCord’s early childhood was spent on the East Coast in Long Island, New York, and in Princeton, New Jersey. When he was twelve, his family moved to Oregon to live on his uncle’s farm. McCord did not resume formal schooling until he was fifteen and attended Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon.
After working in Des Moines, Iowa, and Washington, Pennsylvania, McCord entered Harvard University, where he would remain, as either student or administrator, until 1963. He graduated with a B.A. in physics in 1921 and an M.A. in romance languages in 1922. McCord served as executive director of the Harvard Fund Council from 1925 to 1963. During this time, he also wrote drama reviews for the Boston Evening Transcript (1923-1928) and was the associate editor (1923-1925) and editor (1940-1946) of the Harvard Alumni Bulletin. In addition, he was the Phi Beta Kappa poet at a number of Boston-area colleges, including Harvard University, Tufts College, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. McCord also published light essays, poetry for adults, and book reviews in such esteemed magazines as The New Yorker.
His first collection of poetry for children, Far and Few: Rhymes of the Never Was and Always Is, appeared in 1952. One at a Time: His Collected Poems for the Young was published in 1977 and included 450 poems from five previous volumes. McCord’s verse was also published widely in magazines and anthologies. McCord’s respect for children shines through in his verse and in his frequent visits to schools, where he read his poems, told stories, and offered his young listeners suggestions for developing their writing. McCord’s poems do not moralize, but rather invite readers to delight in the sounds of language and to observe and rediscover their surroundings. McCord wrote about birds, animals, nature, childhood adventures, holidays, and seasons. An accomplished painter, he also wrote visual poems.
Pen, Paper, and Poem (1971) explored the rhythms of poetry itself. McCord’s contribution to the world of letters was recognized with several awards. One at a Time and The Star in the Pail (1975) were nominated for National Book Awards. Other honors included a Guggenheim fellowship (1954), a National Institute of Arts and Letters Grant (1961), the National Council of Teachers of English Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children (1977), a Littauer Foundation grant (1983), and the Harvard Medal (1984). The recipient of a number of honorary degrees, McCord was the first to be given Harvard University’s honorary doctor of humane letters in 1956.