Born 1946, in Den Bosch, The Netherlands; Hobbies and other interests: Acting, reading, walking, photography. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Van Holkema & Warendorf, Bussum, The Netherlands. Primary school teacher, then principal, first of De Manse primary school and then of De kle kapitein primary school; full-time writer, 1993—. Zilveren Griffel, 1979, for Zaterdagmorgen/Zondagmorge…
Born 1969, in Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada; Education: University of British Columbia, B.F.A., 1990, also attended Simon Fraser University. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Kids Can Press, 29 Birch Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 1E2. Writer. Suki's Kimono (picture book), illustrated by Stephane Jorisch, Kids Can Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2003. Chieri Uegaki is a Canadian of Ja…
1951— Singer, songwriter, producer Vandross, Luther, photograph. © 2002 Landov LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission. For many years, Luther Vandross was the vintage Cadillac among the banged-up jalopies in the used car lot of male pop singers. With a sound that echoed the smooth soul stylings of the 1960s, Vandross was a fixture on the rhythm and blues charts fro…
Agent—c/o Author Mail, Colophon House, 17522 Brushy River Ct., Houston, TX 77095. Pine Bluff, AR, and Richardson, TX, teacher, 1951-56; Cleveland, OH, school librarian, 1963-68; Sharon, MA, school librarian, 1968-77; Sugar Land, TX, school librarian, 1980-90. Colophon House, Houston, TX, founder. Speaker at schools, workshops, and conferences. Society of Children's Book Writers and …
1933— Baseball player, coach There will be no plaque for Ozzie Virgil in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The statistics he compiled during his nine-year major league career simply do not qualify him for baseball's great honor. But there is no doubt that Virgil deserves acknowledgement for the firsts that he achieved, even if it is just an asterisk next to his name in the baseball record b…
Known the world over as a musical giant, the six and a half foot tall Chucho Valdés's physical stature matched his musical accomplishment. The Afro-Cuban musician has been been the recipient of five Grammy Award nominations and two Grammys. His fascinating blend of African, South American, Cuban, and Spanish musical traditions seemed to rate a category of music all its own, and was j…
Ritchie Valens: 1941-1959: Performer. Although his career included just a handful of recording and concert dates, Ritchie Valens attained a place in music history as the first Latino rock-and-roll star. With a string of hit singles behind him at the age of seventeen, the musician's future was tragically cut short, however, when he died in a plane crash along with a group that included B…
Jaci Velasquez: 1979—: Vocalist. Jaci Velasquez made one of the most stunning debuts in contemporary Christian music history with her first album, Heavenly Place, in 1996. The album eventually earned a gold record with over 500,000 copies sold and helped Velasquez earn a Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Best New Artist in 1997. With her subsequent releases Velasquez earned severa…
1933— Actress In the minds of many, Cicely Tyson is the embodiment of black womanhood. A naturally gifted actress, she nonetheless worked diligently to learn all the nuances of her craft. Although strikingly beautiful, she has refused to get by on her looks, demanding instead to be judged on her professional abilities. Tyson is often given credit for inspiring black American women to embrac…
Acknowledged as the "godfather of Chicano theater," Luis Valdez is the founder and artistic director of El Teatro Campesino, which translates to The Farmworkers Theater. Started in 1965, Valdez has led the theater company to international acclaim and numerous awards. The author and director of numerous plays, Valdez has also written and directed two films: Zoot Suit, based on his pla…
Alberto Vilar: 1940—: Investor, philanthropist. A leading philanthropist, visionary investor Alberto W. Vilar enjoys giving money away. Because his father refused him music lessons, Vilar studied finance and co-founded Amerindo Investment Advisers, a management house with an $8 billion portfolio that controls endowments, family trusts, foundations, and pension funds. He spends his earni…
Nydia Velázquez: 1953—: U.S. Congressional representative. The first Puerto Rican-born woman elected to the U.S. Congress, Nydia Velázquez has served New York State's 12th District since winning election in 1992. She has also, however, served as an able advocate for the interests of her Puerto Rican home-land. In this mixed deployment of her energies Velázque…
(Diane Marie Catherine Walker) Born 1950, in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia; Politics: "Independent." Hobbies and other interests: Reading, gardening, film, Tai Chi. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Allen & Unwin, 9 Atchinson St., Sidney, New South Wales 2065, Australia. Writer and house sitter. Writing teacher at workshops for primary and high-school teachers, beginning 198…
1978– Rhythm and blues singer, actor With his natural good looks and personal presence that set him apart from the pack, Usher has risen from genuine teen idol to mature pop star. Usher has to travel with bodyguards to hold back the throngs of screaming adolescent females. "I actually have been hurt," he told Interview magazine writer Dimitri Ehrlich. "I twisted my ankl…
1936– Educator In a time when traditional roles for men and women were the norm, Argelia Velez-Rodriguez earned her doctorate from the University of Havana in Cuba, becoming the first black woman to accomplish this at the university. Velez-Rodriguez received her degree during a time of turmoil for her native Cuba following the overthrow of the dictatorship and its replacement by the Communi…
1912-2001 Activist, spiritual leader For nearly four decades, the Reverend Charleszetta Waddles, affectionately known as "Mother Waddles," devoted her life to providing food, hope, and human dignity to the downtrodden and disadvantaged people of Detroit. Founder, director, and spiritual leader of the Mother Waddles Perpetual Mission, Inc., a nonprofit, nondenominational organization …
Nationality: American. Born: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1941. Education: Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, 1958-61, B.A. 1961; Columbia University, New York, 1961-62. Career: Russian bibliographer, Duke University Library, 1962-63; assistant to the librarian, McGill University Law Library, Montreal, 1964-65. Awards: American Academy award, 1977; Janet Kafka prize, 1981; PEN Faulkner award, 198…
Nationality: British. Born: Durham, England, 1930. Education: University of Manchester, B.A. (with honors in English) 1951. Military Service: British Army, Royal Corps of Signals, 1951-53: second lieutenant. Career: Lecturer in English, Norwood Technical College, 1960 and 1963-65; lecturer in English for British Council, University of Athens, Greece, 1960-63. Since 1965 lecturer in English for Bri…
Nationality: American. Born in Shillington, Pennsylvania, 18 March 1932. Educated at public schools in Shillington; Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, A.B. (summa cum laude) 1954; Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Arts, Oxford (Knox fellow), 1954-55.Married 1) Mary Pennington in 1953 (marriage dissolved), two daughters and two sons; 2) Martha Bernhard in 1977. Career: staff reporter, Ne…
Nationality: British. Born: Romford, Essex, 1903. Education: Repton School, Derby, 1917-21; Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (Chancellors's medal for English verse), 1922-24, M.A. 1925. Career: Schoolmaster, 1928-62; Member of the Editorial Board, the Ploughshare, London, 1936-39. Lives in Sandown, Isle of Wight. Edward Upward as a young writer in the 1930s achieved a great reputation, wa…
Nationality: Canadian. Born: Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, 1951. Education: University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, B.A. 1972, M.A. 1975; University of Regina, B.Ed. 1978. Career: Archivist, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, 1973-75; Editor, Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Regina, Saskatchewan, 1976-78; high school English and history teacher, Herbert, Saskatchewan, 1978-79; Researcher, Access …
Born 1951, in NJ; Education: Indiana University, A.B. (history), 1973, M.S. (urban education), 1975, J.D., 1976. Agent—Branded Entertainment, 333 Crestmont Rd., Cedar Grove, NJ 07009. Writer, producer of motion pictures, television, and animation, and motivational speaker. United Artists, New York, NY, motion-picture attorney, 1976–80. Television work includes: (executive producer) T…
Hispanic Magazine said of Alfred A. Valenzuela, "The nation's highest-ranking active-duty Hispanic military officer loves God, his family, the U.S. Army, sports, and birds. He is a walking recruitment center, a loving husband and dad, a church-going Catholic, live-by-the-rules guy, a perfectionist, and a funny man." Major General Alfred A. Valenzuela has served in posts around…
Nationality: British. Born: Bedford, 1920. Education: Marlborough House School; Haileybury College, Hertford; Worcester College, Oxford (major scholar in modern history). Career: Director, Burgess School, London, 1947-59; formerly, publisher, Park Editions, London. Awards: Society of Authors travelling scholarship, 1969; Arts Council bursary, 1981, 1984. Fellow, Royal Society of Literature, 1985. …
Nationality: Canadian (originally Kenyan, emigrated to United State, 1970; emigrated to Canada, 1978). Born: Nairobi, Kenya, 1950. Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, B.S. 1974; University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D. 1978. Family: Married Nurjehan Aziz; one child. Career: Affiliated with Atomic Energy of Canada at Chalk River power station, 1978-80; research associate and lecturer in phy…
Pseudonym: Edgar Box. Nationality: American. Born: Eugene Luther Gore Vidal, Jr. in West Point, New York, 1925. Education: Los Alamos School, New Mexico, 1939-40; Phillips Exeter Academy, New Hampshire, 1940-43. Military Service: Served in the United States Army, 1943-46: Warrant Officer. Career: Editor, E.P. Dutton, publishers, New York, 1946. Lived in Antigua, Guatemala, 1947-49, and Italy, 1967…
Nationality: American. Born: East Los Angeles, 1954. Education: Immaculate Heart College, B.A., 1975; attended University of California at Irvine. Career: Teaches at Cornell University. Awards: Statement Magazine first prize for fiction (California State University), 1977, 1978; first prize for fiction (University of California at Irvine Chicano Literary Contest), 1979. Agent: c/o Dutton/Signet, 3…
Nationality: New Zealander. Born: 1947. Career: Formerly a zookeeper. Since 1987 a writer. A latecomer to novel writing, Noel Virtue has made a small but definite name for himself in contemporary New Zealand fiction. He has been in residence in the United Kingdom for much of his career, but returned to New Zealand in 1995 to launch his autobiography, Once a Brethren Boy, at New Zealand's f…
Nationality: American. Born: Santa Monica, California, 1959. Education: Attended Deep Springs College, 1977-79; Cornell University, B.A. 1981; graduate study at University of California, Berkeley, 1982-83. Career: Founder, CoTangent Press; writer. Awards: Ludwig Vogelstein award, 1987; Whiting Writers' award, 1988; Shiva Naipaul Memorial prize, 1989; PEN Center USA West Literary award, 1997…
Nationality: American. Born: Indianapolis, Indiana, 1922. Education: Shortridge High School, Indianapolis, 1936-40; Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1940-42; Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1943; University of Chicago, 1945-47. Military Service: Served in the United States Army Infantry, 1942-45: Purple Heart. Career: Police reporter, Chicago City News Bureau, 1946; worked in public relations…
Nationality: American. Born: Massillon, Ohio, 1926. Education: Pennsylvania State University, University Park, B.A. 1947; Indiana University, Bloomington, M.A. in English 1949. Military Service: Served in the United States Navy, 1944-46. Career: Instructor, DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, 1949-50, and Pennsylvania State University, 1950-53; assistant professor, 1954-57, associate professo…
Nationality: American. Born: Indianapolis, Indiana, 1932. Education: Shortridge High School, Indianapolis, graduated 1950; Indiana University, Bloomington, 1950-51; Columbia University, New York, 1951-55, B.A. (honors) in English 1955. Career: News editor, Princeton Packet, New Jersey, 1955; research assistant to C. Wright Mills, Columbia University, 1955; staff writer, the Nation, New York, 1956-…
Nationality: American. Born: Eatonton, Georgia, 1944. Education: Spelman College, Atlanta, 1961-63; Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York, 1963-65, B.A. 1965. Career: Voter registration and Head Start program worker, Mississippi, and with New York City Department of Welfare, mid-1960s; teacher, Jackson State College, 1968-69, and Tougaloo College, 1970-71, both Mississippi; lecturer, Welles…
Born 1953, in Oak Park, IL; Ethnicity: "Polish and Danish." Education: Occidental College, A.B. (Anglo-American literature; magna cum laude), 1975; attended Boston University School of Fine Arts, 1971-72. Politics: Democrat. Religion: "Raised Catholic; currently unaffiliated; practice Zen Buddhism." Hobbies and other interests: Playing guitar, golf, hiking, swimming. Ag…
Born 1946, in Plymouth, England; Education: Attended teachers' training college. Agent— c/o Author Mail, Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England. Writer, actor, musician, and educator. Teacher of music and drama in London, England. Nottinghamshire book Award, 1993, for Pongwiffy and the Spell of the Year; Times Educational Supplement Junior Music Book Award, 1999, for…
Born 1945, in New York, NY; Education: School of the Art Institute of Chicago, B.F.A. Office—Leo Burnett Worldwide, Inc., 35 W. Wacker St., Chicago, IL 60601. Agent—c/o author correspondence, Scholastic Library Publishing, P.O. Box 1795, Danbury, CT. Leo Burnett Worldwide, Inc., Chicago IL, executive art director and vice president, c. 1970-2003; writer and illustrator of children&#x…
Surname pronounced Yoo-dree; Born 1928, in Jacksonville, FL; Education: Northwestern University, B.S., 1950. Agent—c/o Author Mail, HarperCollins Children's, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019. Freelance writer. American Association of University Women. Caldecott Award, 1956, for A Tree Is Nice. A Tree Is Nice, illustrated by Marc Simont, Harper (New York, NY), 1956. The…
1925-1989 Episcopalian Bishop The first African-American bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Washington, D.C., John T. Walker used his ministry to work tirelessly for social justice. He championed the rights of the poor and marginalized, and spoke out forcefully against South Africa's apartheid regime. After his death following heart surgery in 1989, Walker was remembered in Washington Post …
1969— Writer Walker, Rebecca, photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. reproduced by permission. Rebecca Walker, daughter of novelist Alice Walker, has forged her own successful career and identity as a writer, activist, and leading American advocate for women's issues. Author of the best-selling Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self, Walker has written extensive…
(Eric G. Iverson, Harry Norman Turtledove, H.N. Turtletaub) Born 1949, in Los Angeles, CA; Education: University of California at Los Angeles, Ph.D. (Byzantine history), 1997. Agent—Scott Meredith, 845 3rd Ave., New York, NY 10022. Science-fiction novelist and short-story writer. Technical writer for Los Angeles County Office of Education, c. 1982–91. Science Fiction Writers of Ameri…
Donna de Varona: 1947—: Olympic swimmer, sportscaster, activist. Olympic swimmer Donna de Varona has had a rich and varied career. She won two gold medals in the 1964 Olympics, and was one of the first women hired as a sports reporter for a major television network. A dedicated activist on behalf of women in sports, de Varona helped found the Women's Sports Foundation and has tes…
1939- Attorney, filmmaker, and diplomat Robert F. Van Lierop's varied and distinguished career has included spells as assistant legal counsel to the NAACP in the late 1960s, as ambassador to the United Nations for the Republic of Vanuatu, as a photojournalist and film producer, and as a founding partner in the law firm of Van Lierop, Burns, and Bassett. At the United Nations during the 1980…
(Debra Lynn Lehmann) Born 1957, in St. Paul, MN; Education: Bemidji State University, B.A.; California State University at Dominguez Hills, master's degree. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, writing, traveling, music, dance. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Sasquatch Books, 119 S. Main, Ste. 400, Seattle, WA 98104. High school teacher in Nunapitchuk, AK, and other Alaskan villages; univer…
Actress 1978- For nine years, first on Moesha and then on The Parkers, actress Countess Vaughn was a fixture of African-American living rooms, a star on the television programs that topped measures of black viewership. The youthful Vaughn mastered a broad, sassy style of comedy with deep roots in African-American performance traditions, portraying the boy-chasing Kim Parker and developing a set of…
Born 1951; stepEducation: Taylor University, graduated; Northwestern University, Ph.D. (performance studies). Office—Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus, Bronx, NY 10458. Educator and author. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, professor of English for 16 years, and department chair for 8 years; Seton Hall University, NJ, dean of arts and sciences, beginning c. 1998;. Visiting profe…
1946- Social activist Walker, Bernita R., photograph. Courtesy Bernita R. Walker. For more than two decades, Bernita R. Walker has dedicated her life to the support of families escaping domestic violence. She is co-founder and executive director of Project: Peacemakers, Inc., a non-profit public benefit corporation in Los Angeles that provides intervention and education for those escaping domestic…
Born 1924, in Philadelphia, PA; Education: Attended University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia College of Art, 1946-50, and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1950-51. Hobbies and other interests: Playing piano, cooking, Broadway theatre. Commercial artist for Condé Nast Publications, New York, NY, and Seventeen, New York, NY, 1952-54; graphic designer for Life, New York, NY, 1955-72, and Peo…
Born 1945, in San Diego, CA; daughter of Hal G. (a writer) and Dorothea A. (an art teacher) Evarts; Education: University of California, Davis, B.A., 1967. Politics: Democrat. Hobbies and other interests: Gardening with California native plants, hiking, camping, bird watching, photography, travel, reading. Elementary school teacher and teacher's aide in Walnut Creek and Orinda, CA, 1982-86…
Born 1975, in San Diego, CA; Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: California State University, San Marcas, B.A. (English), 1997. Politics: Republican Conservative. Religion: Reformed Presbyterian. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Gareth Stevens, Inc., 330 West Olive St., No. 100, Milwaukee, WI 53212-1068. Writer and editor. Greehaven Press, San Diego, CA, editor and proofreader, 1998-2001…
Born 1951, in Tacoma, WA; daughter of Claude M. (an attorney and author), and Helen (Adams) Pearson; Education: Attended Washington State University, 1969-70; Central Washington State University, B.A., 1974, library science certification, 1975. Hobbies and other interests: Beachcombing, traveling, baking, swimming, reading. Writer, 1981—. Captain Charles Wilkes Elementary School, Bainbridg…
Born 1966, in New York, NY; Education: Georgetown University, B.A., 1988. Office—c/o Writers House, 21 W. 26th St., New York, NY 10010. Writer. Authors Guild. Editor's Choice designation, Booklist, 1991, for Wonder, and 1992, for Do-Over; Pick-of-the-List designation, American Booksellers Association, 1991, for Wonder; Blue Ribbon designation, Bulletin of the Center for Children�…
Surname pronounced "de-va-REN"; born 1947, in Cincinnati, OH; Ethnicity: "French Canadian." Education: Cornell University, B.A. (literature), 1969; Johns Hopkins University, M.A. (creative writing), 1970. Office—c/o Author Mail, Random House Children's Books, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Writer. Formerly worked as a teacher and in publishing. Pushcar…
1945— Football player, union executive As a guard for pro football's Oakland Raiders, Gene Upshaw established a reputation as one of the most dominating players on the field. As the longtime executive director of the NFL Players' Association, he is widely regarded as one of the most powerful players on the sidelines. Upshaw helped the Raiders win two Super Bowls during his pla…
1953— Counselor, lawyer, writer, lecturer Iyanla (pronounced EE-yan-lah) Vanzant has overcome overwhelming personal difficulties to become a lawyer, minister, talk show host, best-selling author, and national advocate for literacy. Through her self-named "dark valley experiences," those that like real valleys are necessarily traversed on the path from one mountain or peak to t…
1942(?)— Organization leader A recognized expert in family and social science, Gladys Gary Vaughn has forged a 30-year career in helping people improve the quality of their lives. "I've always believed in social justice. It is a deeply held belief of mine," she told Contemporary Black Biography (CBB). To that end, she has spoken before Congress and on the talk show Gera…
See index for SATA sketch: Born May 22, 1923, in The Hague, Netherlands; died of lung cancer January 25, 2005, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Illustrator and author. Velthuijs was an award-winning author and illustrator of children's books. Educated at the Academy of Visual Arts in Arnhem, Netherlands, his early career was in advertising and publishing. He worked as a graphic artist and designe…
Born 1942, in Boston, MA; daughter of Frederick C. (a corporate executive) and Elise (Keeney) Cynthia Voigt Irving; Education: Smith College, B.A., 1963. Politics: Independent. Hobbies and other interests: "Reading, eating well (especially with friends), tennis, movies, hanging around with our children, and considering the weather." Agent—Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House, …
Born 1957, in Copenhagen, Denmark; stepUrban (an electrical designer), December 27, 1992; Education: Art Center College of Design, B.F.A., 1981. Hobbies and other interests: Traveling, reading. Agent—Andrea Brown, 1076 Eagle Dr., Salinas, CA 93905. Freelance illustrator and artist. Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, Mutinyonthe H.M.S. Bounty, adapted by Kenton K. Smith, Landoll (Ashla…
Born 1939, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Education: University of Manitoba, B.A., 1961, B.Ed., 1966; University of Iowa, M.F.A., 1969. Religion: Lutheran. Hobbies and other interests: Hiking, gardening. English teacher in Riverton, Manitoba, Canada, 1961-62, Snow Lake, Manitoba, 1964-65, Pinawa, Manitoba, 1965-67, and Tuxedo, Manitoba, 1969-70; art teacher in Transcona, Manitoba, 1963-64; Cottey …
