Walt Morey
Walt Morey was an American author born on February 3, 1907, in Hoquiam, Washington. He grew up in several locations including Oregon and Canada, which influenced his later writings. Morey had a diverse career, working as a professional boxer, shipbuilder, and inspector of salmon fish traps, among other roles. His literary journey began in earnest in 1928, leading to his most famous work, "Gentle Ben," published in the early 1960s, which won multiple awards, including the 1965 Dutton Junior Animal Book Award. Morey’s writing often drew from his personal experiences and settings in the Pacific Northwest, featuring strong animal characters and themes of nature conservation. He received significant recognition for his contributions to children's literature, including awards from the Oregon Library Association and the Oregon Educational Media Association. His impact extended beyond books, inspiring adaptations for television and film, and he is honored through various awards and educational institutions, including a middle school named after him in Troutdale, Oregon. Morey passed away on January 12, 1992, but his legacy in literature continues to influence readers and writers alike.
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Walt Morey
Author
- Born: February 3, 1907
- Birthplace: Jasper, Oregon
- Died: January 12, 1992
- Place of death: Wilsonville, Oregon
Biography
Walter Nelson Morey was born on February 3, 1907, at Hoquiam, Washington, to Arthur Nelson Morey, who worked as a sailor, grocer, and carpenter, and Gertrude Stover Morey. Morey’s parents moved to Jasper, Oregon, when he was an infant to improve his frail health. They returned to Washington and also resided in Alberta, Canada, and Great Falls, Montana, where artist Charles M. Russell lived nearby. Morey disliked school: He skipped classes and refused to read until a biography of Russell initiated an interest in books. After high school graduation, Morey took some courses at Benkhe Walker Business College in 1927.
On July 8, 1934, Morey married Rosalind Alice Ogden, a teacher. Morey boxed professionally; built vessels at the Vancouver, Washington, Kaiser Shipyards; worked in mills; and managed a theater. He inspected salmon fish traps in Alaska during 1951 and dove in deep-sea waters. He raised filbert nuts on his property and served as the Oregon Nut Growers Cooperative director from 1960 to 1961. After his wife died in 1977, Morey wed Peggy Kilburn on June 26, 1978. Morey suffered a heart attack and died on January 12, 1992, at his Wilsonville, Oregon, home.
By 1928, Morey had begun writing but he became frustrated when publishers rejected his first novel. He attended Oregon Freelance Writer’s Club meetings to learn craft techniques. Morey published fiction in magazines, though he quit during the 1950’s because demand for pulp publications declined. By the early 1960’s, Morey had started writing Gentle Ben; he began the book when his wife encouraged him to write for young readers. He appropriated autobiographical elements and his Alaskan and Pacific Northwest memories for stories. Morey spoke at schools and encouraged readers to respect nature and animals.
Critics comparing him to Jack London and praised Morey’s storytelling abilities and his depiction of intriguing settings and characters. They emphasized Morey’s realistic portrayals of animal heroes and wilderness situations. Morey’s best- known book, Gentle Ben, won the 1965 Dutton Junior Animal Book Award, the 1967 Sequoyah Children’s Book Award and was designated a notable book by the American Library Association. His novel Kavik, the Wolf Dog received three prizes in 1968, including Morey’s second Dutton Junior Animal Book Award, the Northwest Bookseller’s Award, and the Tonawanda (New York) School Children’s Award. That book won the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Memorial Children’s Book Award in 1970 and the William Allen White Children’s Book Award in 1971. The Child Study Association’s Children’s Book Committee selected five of Morey’s novels as Books of the Year: Kavik, the Wolf Dog in 1968; both Canyon Winter and Runaway Stallion in 1973; Run Far, Run Fast in 1974; and Year of the Black Pony in 1976. In 1982, the Oregon Library Association presented Morey with its Evelyn Sibley Lampman Award, recognizing his literary achievements. The Oregon Educational Media Association gave Morey its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991. Morey’s novels inspired television and movie adaptations. Literary Arts grants the Walt Morey Special Award to Oregonians and groups impacting children’s literature. His namesake, the Walt Morey Middle School, is located at Troutdale, Oregon.