Helen Hamlin

Last updated
Helen Hamlin
Born
Helen Leidy

(1917-06-26)June 26, 1917 [1]
Fort Kent, Maine
Other namesHelen Leidy Hamlin
Mrs. Willis Hamlin
Helen Lennon
Helen Hamlin Lennon
Mrs. Robert Earl Lennon

Helen Hamlin (1917-2004) was an American author who is known for her two books on life in northern Maine.

Contents

Biography

Helen Austin Leidy was born in Fort Kent, Maine [2] and grew up in Aroostook County, Maine. [1] In 1937 she graduated from the Madawaska Training School, later a part of the University of Maine at Fort Kent. [3] [4] Her father and grandfather were Maine fish and game wardens. [5] She met her first husband Willis ('Curly') Hamlin, also a game warden, at a dance while she was teaching at Churchill Lake. [5] Being a speaker of both french and English helped in her teaching job since she had students in Churchill Lake who only spoke French. [1]

Her first book, Nine Mile Bridge: Three Years in the Maine Woods, described her first years living in the woods with Curly Hamlin in the area known as St. John Valley. [6] The book became a best seller in 1945 [7] and was reprinted in 1973 and 2005. [8] The book also became the basis for later discussions about living in the Maine woods. [9] Hamlin's second book was about tales from Aroostook county and the news covered the process she used to gather information for this book. [10] The book was titled Pine, Potatoes, and People and was published in 1948. [11]

In 1947 she married Robert Lennon, who worked at the United States' Department of Fish and Wildlife. [12] She moved to Michigan in the 1950s, where she painted portraits that appeared in shows in Washington, D.C. [2] She later moved to Wisconsin where she obtained a teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse in 1961. [13] In Wisconsin she taught French at Central High School in La Crosse. [14] She also traveled, and worked for the United States' State Department as a translator in Africa. [2] She died in Minnesota in 2004. [15]

Books

Awards and honors

In 1946, Hamlin was named to the Pen and Brush Club, a group founded in 1863 to recognize women writers and artists. [16] In 1988 she was named an outstanding alumnus of the University of Maine at Fort Kent. [15]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Hamlin, Helen; Hamlen, Helen; Lennon, Mrs Robert; Jacob, Hilda (2014-10-31). "Helen Leidy Hamlin Correspondence". Maine Writers Correspondence.
  2. 1 2 3 "Hamlin, Helen | Maine: An Encyclopedia". December 13, 2011.
  3. ↑ Cooper, Marion (May 26, 1945). Maine wilderness goes to print again. Lewiston Evening Journal.
  4. ↑ "Outstanding Alumni Award Past Recipients". www.umfk.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  5. 1 2 "Life in the Maine wilderness as a game warden's wife". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1945-06-03. p. 43. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  6. ↑ Northern Maine story due for '45. Lewiston Evening Journal. June 17, 1944.
  7. ↑ Best Sellers 1945-07-15: Vol 5 Iss 8. University of Scranton. 1945-07-15. pp. 75–76.
  8. ↑ Reviews for Nine Mile Bridge:
  9. ↑ Tanner, Ogden; Time-Life Books (1974). New England wilds. New York: Time-Life Books.
  10. ↑ "Helen Hamlin toured Maine for material for new book". Sun-Journal. 1948-05-26. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  11. ↑ Reviews for Pine, Potatoes, and People:
  12. ↑ "Clipped From The Winona Daily News". The Winona Daily News. 2004-08-06. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  13. ↑ "Clipped From The La Crosse Tribune". The La Crosse Tribune. 1965-10-10. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  14. ↑ "Students hear experiences of authors". The La Crosse Tribune. 1965-11-05. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  15. 1 2 "A Maine Writer: Maine State Library". www.maine.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  16. ↑ Stone, Eleanor B. (1946-01-05). "Helen Hamlin new Maine member voted into exclusive Pen and Brush Club". Sun-Journal. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
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