A Soldier's Story: Private John William Cheever

 



Private John William Cheever was born on May 27, 1912, in Quincy, Mass. He attended the Thayer Academy and Quincy High School and began his writing career early in high school when he won a Boston Herald Short Story contest.  

After high school, Private John William Cheever applied for membership to the Yaddo Artist Colony in Saratoga Springs and was accepted in 1934. He would consider Yaddo a second home for most of his life and was regularly at the Saratoga Springs colony. Private John William Cheever's writing career took off in 1935 after he sold his first short story, "Buffalo," to the New Yorker and began to work for the Federal Writer's Project in 1938.  

Private John William Cheever enlisted in the US Army in 1942 in response to the beginning of  World War II. Shortly after his enlistment, his first collection of short stories, "The Way Some People Live," was published. Major Leonard Spigelgass liked it and transferred Private John William Cheever out of the infantry and into the Signal Corps, where he worked writing scripts for US Army training films. He remained with the Army until 1945.



After the war, Private John William Cheever continued writing, earning a Guggenheim Fellowship. He also volunteered for the Briarcliff Manor fire department.

During the 1970s, Priave John William Cheever taught writing, first at the Iowa Writer's Workshop and then at Boston College, and appeared on the cover of Newsweek in 1977.

Private John William Cheever would win the Pulitzer Prize in 1979 for the Stories of John Cheever and the Edward MacDowell Medal. In 1982, he won the National Medal for Literature.

Private Cheever had an incredibly prolific writing career, publishing over 120 short stories, 7 short story collections, and 15 novels. 

Private John William Cheever died on June 18, 1982, and rests at the First Parish Cemetery in Norwell, Massachusetts. 


* Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project here*

****************************************

a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to the travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

#TaketheBackRoads


Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors, my webshop, or by buying me a cup of coffee!


Location: Quincy, MA, USA

Popular posts from this blog

A Soldier's Story: Lieutenant Sorrell Booke - Korean War

Image
Lieutenant Sorrell Booke was born on January 4, 1930, in Buffalo, New York. Always a performer, he made impressions for the local radio stations while attending Bennet High School, where he graduated class valedictorian in 1948. After high school, Lieutenant Sorrell Booke attended Columbia University, then moved to Yale University to receive his master's degree. However, his college education was briefly interrupted by his enlistment in the US Army during the Korean War, where Lieutenant Booke served as a counterintelligence officer. In 1960, after many years spent on the stage, Lieutenant Sorrell Booke made his way to Hollywood. He took on several roles in film, including one in the movie Black Like Me, before focusing on television roles. Lieutenant Sorrell Booke was nominated for an Emmy for his role in Dr. Kildare. He also appeared on M*A*S*H and All in the Family before landing his most famous role, that of Boss Hogg, in the television series Dukes of Hazzard, a part h...
Read more

An Airman's Story: Staff Sergeant Francis Pershing McNamara

Image
Staff Sergeant Francis Pershing McNamara was born on February 19, 1943, in Pollagh, Ireland. He immigrated to the U.S. at one-month-old aboard the USS Baltic and grew up in Parma, Ohio. Staff Sergeant Francis McNamara enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Services on March 19, 1942, in response to World War II and was trained as an ariel gunner. He was assigned to the 11th Bombardment Group and deployed to the Pacific theater. On May 27, 1943, during a rescue mission, the plane he was on, the Green Hornet, crashed into the Pacific. Staff Sergeant Francis McNamara, First Lieutenant Russell Allen Phillips, and First Lieutenant Louis Zamperini were the only survivors and were adrift in the ocean. After 33 days, on June 30, 1943, Staff Sergeant Francis Pershing McNamara succumbed to starvation and exposure and was buried at sea. He is memorialized in the Court of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. * Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project here* ****************************...
Read more

A Soldier's Story: Sergeant James Oliver Rigney Jr - Vietnam War

Image
Sergeant James Oliver Rigney Jr was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 17, 1948. After his high school graduation, he attended Clemson University and played collegiate football. Sergeant Rigney left college after one year to enlist in the US Army. Training as a gunner, Sergeant James Oliver Rigney Jr. deployed twice to Vietnam with the 68th Assault Helicopter Squadron.   He returned to the US in 1970 and enrolled at The Citadel, where he studied physics. Sergeant James Oliver Rigney Jr. graduated in 1974 and began working for the US Navy at the Charleston Naval Shipyard.  In 1977, Sergeant James Oliver Rigney fell from a submarine in drydock, severely injuring his leg and requiring the reconstruction of his knee. His recovery process was long and was complicated by blood clots. Sergeant Rigney decided during his convalescence to become a writer. He began writing historical works under Reagan O'Neal before writing Western novels as Jackson O'Reilly. Sergeant Ja...
Read more