Philip Sterling
Philip Sterling, originally named Philip Shatz, was an American writer and journalist born on July 12, 1907, in New Rochelle, New York. He grew up in Ohio and began his career in the newspaper industry, working as a reporter and editor from 1926 to 1931. In the 1930s, he transitioned into social work with the New York Emergency Home Relief Bureau and changed his last name to Sterling. Sterling made significant contributions to literature, particularly through his nonfiction works aimed at young adults, including notable biographies of influential figures such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and civil rights leader Malcolm X. His most recognized work, "Sea and Earth: The Life of Rachel Carson," details the life of the pioneering ecologist whose book "Silent Spring" raised awareness about environmental issues. This biography won a Christopher Award in 1971 and showcased Sterling’s thorough research methods, involving interviews and extensive archival work. He worked with CBS from 1945 until his retirement in 1965, where he was involved in both radio and television writing. Philip Sterling passed away in 1989, leaving behind a legacy of educational literature and research materials that were later donated to the Rachel Carson Institute.
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Philip Sterling
Author
- Born: July 12, 1907
- Birthplace: New Rochelle, New York
- Died: September 11, 1989
- Place of death: Wellfleet, Massachusetts
Biography
Philip Sterling was the pseudonym of Philip Shatz, who was born in New Rochelle, New York, on July 12, 1907, the son of William Shatz, a house painter, and Helen Levine Shatz. The family later moved to Ohio, where he attended public schools. Between 1926 and 1931, he was a reporter, writer, or copy editor at several newspapers, including the Cleveland Press and the Omaha World Herald. In 1933, he went to work for the New York Emergency Home Relief Bureau, where he initially was a clerk and then a case worker. Shatz legally changed his last name to Sterling in 1936, and in 1937 he married Dorothy Dannenberg, a writer who used the name Dorothy Sterling.
Between 1936 and 1939, Sterling was the associate editor of Film Index, a job created as part of the Federal Writers Project, one of the programs administered by the Works Progress Administration. In 1945, he accepted a job with the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), where he was a writer for both the radio and television press information departments. He was promoted to the position of assistant director of the CBS radio press information department in 1959, a position he held until 1963. He retired from CBS in 1965.
Sterling wrote a number of nonfiction books, the majority of them for young adults. His first book, Polio Pioneers, was cowritten with his wife, Dorothy, and published in 1955. He wrote biographies of antislavery activists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, civil rights figures Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X, and four Puerto Rican leaders. In addition to his books for young adults, Sterling edited an anthology of African American humor and wrote a book about teachers, both intended for adult readers.
Sterling is best remembered for his biography of ecologist and biologist Rachel Carson, whose book Silent Spring (1962) first alerted the world to the dangers of chemical fertilizers. As research for his book, Sterling interviewed Carson’s friends and relatives, investigated her family background, read newspaper clippings, and studied relevant photographs. Sea and Earth: The Life of Rachel Carson (1970) won a Christopher Award in 1971. After he died in 1989, Sterling’s research materials about Carson were donated to the Rachel Carson Institute at the University of Oregon.