DURING TH LATE
19705 and early 80s he, taught at
several schools, including
· Denison University in Gran
ville, Ohio; Stanford Univer i
and Whittier College in Califor
nia; andthe 0 niversity of Hous
ton.
With thr novels under his
belt � 1973, he received a Gug
genheim, Fellowship and con
tinued to write. S·· 1 81, be
has been a writer- esidence
.and professor of Englisb at the
University of Southwestern
Louisiana in Lafayette.
Gaines' first published novel
was "Cathering Carmier" ill
1964 .. After "Bloodline," a book
of short stories, hit the
books ores in 1968, Gaines
began to capture critical ac-
claim. .
"The Autobiography of Miss
Jane Pittman," released in 1971,
was a popular novel and was
. , ., adapted three years nater for a .
television production starring
Cicely Tyson. A children's
book, "A Warm Day in Novem
ber," the novel "In my Father's
House" in 1978 and "A Gather
ing' of Old Men" in 1983 con
tinued the painting of the
Lousiana landscape pf his
childhood. .
Gaines has bee successful
in writing stories with a univer
sal quality. That might explain
why "Miss Jane Pittman" has
been translated into eight dif-
· ferent languages and is so wide-
· ly read around the world. .
r
, .
'There somethingjn the
heavy Louisiana � thit clung
to Earne t J. Gaines. Years
after he"d left the plantation on
iWhich five generations of his
family d toiled and died, he
still could hear the voices and
feel and pirit of its people. ..
Today, G ine is one. of
America' best-mown contem
porary writers. His novels and
short tories, including "A
Gathering of Old Men" and
"The Autobiography of Miss
J me Pittman," provide some of
the few literuy glimps s of the
1>lack experience in the rural
South.
Gaines w born in Oscar,
La., in 933. By age '8, .ha.was
digging potatoes for meager
wages.
Hi aunt, Augusteen J offer
SOD, was one of his earliest and.
trongest influences. Although
severely crippled, she pos
sessed an inner strength and an
unw vering religious convic
tion. "There was never a day my
aunt felt sorry for herself," said
Gaines. "Her strength, of
. ,
Erne t J. GaiDe
character has greatly influenced
my writing and the development
of my fictional characters."
In 1948, Gaines moved to
California. Although educa
tional opportunities were
greater in his new home, he
missed the storytelling that
served as entertainment on the
plantation.
He twned to the library for
books about the Southern blae
experience, but came up empty
handed. Instead, he read
storie by Russian novelists
about peasants who struggled to
live off the land. oon, Gaine
began writing down memories
- . of his own childh . - the
. ian 11 velists his model.
. Gaines attended Vallejo
Junior College, erved in the
Army and fini bed colle at
an Francisco St te College. In
J.
aine
JanuarY·'·l2, .99. MICHIGAN CITIZE
'a' e'
• I
1956, his fir t published stories '.
'appeared in the San Francisco
State College literary magazine.
He graduated in 1957 and
received an ward that allowed
him to study cr�ve writing at
Stanford University in Palo
Alto, calif. In later year he
found his ay back to the
university, this time a prp(i .,:
sor..
ONE IMP.ORTANT
THEME that Gaines str��_ ...
his stories is that plaht,tiOD life
existed long after legal
ended. His own childhood ex
perience in Louisiana attests io
that fact.
"History is full of meaning,"
says Gaines. "Miss J ne' is
relevant today as ever. There is
still so much we can learn from
her--including how to treat
each other as human beings."
In 1987, Gaine received a
literary award from the
American Academy and In
stitute of Arts and Letters. He
currently resides i,n California,
where he is completing a novel.
(Emes! I. Gaines is one of 12
people selected for "Gallery of
Greats: Black Authors .. .A Voice. r
for the Peopte," a collection 0/
portraits commissioned by the
Miller Brtwing Company. The
collection, which honors all
black authors, is on a national
. tour of QIt gaI!w d univ,er
sities throughout 1990.)
.:
.!
.' #
BROWN Be WILLIAM .ON TOBACCO CORPORATION
ACHIEVER �
AWARDS
.:
EstabUshed in 1986. the KOOL Achiever Awards recognize adults
whose personal or profeSSional efforts are creating a be er way'
of life in inner-cnv communities. . "
. . � .. .
Arts . James H. Chapman, Columbus. Ohio. is founder and
, executive director of.living the Dream. a performing oris group
- h ch addresses social crisis issu hrough drama. music.,poetry
and dance.
Bust . 8tenetto HoweI Borrett, Chicago. IIIlnoi1. has been a
champion of minority economic development and consumer
rights. working In business. in education and. througti the �
political system:
Civic, Reve'rend Hezekloh Stewart, pastor of Mt. Nebo African
Methodist Episcopal C�hurch in �iHle Rock, . Arkansas. founded the
watershed Human and Community Development Agencv. hich
confronts socloi problems with programs that pr <it re . n-
sibility and teach self-reliance to the disadyantaged. � -.1 -;:-1"
C�nicotians· Charlotte E. � er, a counselor at Greenville .
Me tal Health Center."created South Carolina's first 'Dental
health program for th9 deaf. Through her efforts: she has
improved the quality of life and religious expression for the
mentally and physically handicapped.
Equcotk>n . Lisa GIvens of Thornton. Colorado is volunteer
coordinator for the Junior Engineering Technical Society Club of
the Colorado Association of Black Professional Engineers and
Scientists She has helped hundreds of youth prepare for
productive and satisfying careers in the science and
gin rin field - -
Each of the 1990 recipients receive a S10.000 contrit:>u1lon from
Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation to be donated to the
qualifying non-profit. inner-city community service of his or
her choice.
Please join • us and our highly supportive community
organizations· as \lie salute their accomplishments.
, .
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Now Greatly Reduces Serious -Risks to Your Health.