William Garland Rogers
William Garland Rogers was an American writer, educator, and journalist born in 1896 in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. He served in World War I as an ambulance driver for the French army and received the Croix de Guerre for his service. After the war, he attended Amherst College and completed his bachelor's degree in 1920. Rogers began his career in education, teaching in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, while also earning a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1929.
In 1931, he became an art editor and reporter at the Springfield Union newspaper, a role he held until 1943, when he joined the Associated Press as an arts editor and writer. His literary contributions include his first textbook, *Fluent French for Beginners* (1927), and noteworthy biographies such as *When This You See Remember Me: Gertrude Stein in Person* (1948) and *Carl Sandburg, Yes: Poet, Historian, Novelist, Songster* (1970). Rogers also co-authored works with his wife, Mildred Weston, and wrote nonfiction on modern art and architecture. He remained active in writing and reviewing books until his death in 1978, living in the Allegheny Mountains with his family.
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William Garland Rogers
Author
- Born: February 29, 1896
- Birthplace: Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts
- Died: 1978
Biography
W. G. Rogers was born in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, in 1896, the son of a businessman. He served in the U.S. Army in World War I, and from 1917 until 1919 he was an ambulance driver attached to the French army. He earned the Croix de Guerre for his military service.
After the war, Rogers attended Amherst College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1920. He then taught school in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. While teaching in Pittsburgh, Rogers attended the University of Pittsburgh and earned a master’s degree in 1929. He married Mildred Weston, a writer, in 1934. Rogers was an art editor and reporter with the Springfield Union newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1931 until 1943. In 1943, he accepted a position with the Associated Press as an arts editor and shortly afterwards began working as a writer and book reviewer.
Rogers’s first published work was a textbook, Fluent French for Beginners (1927). Two years later, he published his first novel, Life Goes On. He edited Le Voyage de M. Perrichon, published in 1930.
Rogers later wrote biographies. His first, When This You See Remember Me: Gertrude Stein in Person, was published in 1948. His other biographies include Wise Men Fish Here: The Story of Frances Steloff and the Gotham Book Mart (1965) and Carl Sandburg, Yes: Poet, Historian, Novelist, Songster (1970), his most notable book.
Rogers wrote nonfiction books on various other topics. He collaborated with his wife on Carnival Crossroads: The Story of Times Square (1960). His other titles include A Picture Is a Picture: A Look at Modern Painting (1964), What’s Up in Architecture: A Look at Modern Building (1965), and Mightier than the Sword: Cartoons, Caricature, Social Comment (1968).
Rogers was a book reviewer for The New York Times Book Review and other publications. He was a member of National Book Awards fiction jury for two years and of the National Book Awards advisory committee for three years. He continued his writing career for many years from his home in the Allegheny Mountains, where he lived with his wife and dog. He died in 1978.