Robert William Shields | |
---|---|
Born | Seymour, Indiana, U.S. | May 17, 1918
Died | October 15, 2007 89) Dayton, Washington, U.S. | (aged
Occupations |
|
Known for | 37.5-million-word diary |
Spouse | Grace Augusta Hotson |
Children | 3 |
Robert William Shields (May 17, 1918 – October 15, 2007) was an American minister and high school English teacher best known for writing a diary of 37.5 million words, which chronicled every five minutes of his life from 1972 until a stroke disabled him in 1997. [1] [2] Shields's diary, which filled 91 boxes, was longer than those kept by the journalist Edward Robb Ellis (21 million words) and the poet Arthur Crew Inman (17 million words), and 30 times longer than that of Samuel Pepys (1.25 million words). [3]
Believing that discontinuing his diary would be like "turning off my life", [1] he spent four hours a day in the office, on his back porch, in his underwear, recording his body temperature, blood pressure, medications, describing his urination and bowel movements, and slept for only two hours at a time so he could describe his dreams. The New York Times summarized the journal as being about anything "from changing light bulbs to pondering God to visiting the bathroom". [3] He also left behind samples of his nose hair for future study. [3] After his stroke in 1997, Shields tried to continue the diary by having his wife write what he told her to write, but she lacked the compulsion and energy to do so and stopped shortly afterward. [3]
Shields's self-described "uninhibited", "spontaneous" work was astonishing in its mundaneness, and now fills 91 cartons [4] in the collections of Washington State University, to whom he donated the work in 1999. [5] In a May 2000 interview he said "I've written 1200 poems and at least five of 'em are good." [2] He also claimed to have written the story base for Elvis Presley's film Love Me Tender based on the Reno Gang of Seymour, Indiana, where Shields was born. Copies of the manuscript are at the Kansas State Historical Society's E. P. Lamborn collection. Shields based his manuscript on John Reno's 1879 autobiography, although there is some uncertainty over the authorship of the Reno autobiography, with Shields himself having acted as editor for the only known published copy. [6]
The journal for which he became known was not the first he had tried to keep; he had tried to write one at age 17 to chronicle a romantic relationship, but abandoned it after losing interest in the project. [3]
This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: The Shields Diary and papers are apparently now available for research and reading (https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv946440), which does not align with this section's claims of a 2057 date.(July 2024) |
Under the terms of the donation of his diary to Washington State University, the diary may not be read or subjected to an exact word count until 50 years from his death (i.e. in 2057). [7] He said that it may not be read until both he and his wife died; she died in 2024 the university began cataloging the collection that year. [8] However, many excerpts have appeared, including the following: [4] [9]
Shields was married to Grace Augusta Hotson, with whom he had three daughters: Klara, Cornelia, and Heidi. He died from a heart attack at his home in Dayton, Washington, on October 15, 2007, just over 10 years after the stroke that ended his work on his diary. He was 89 years old. [3]
Samuel Pepys was an English writer and Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament, but is most remembered today for the diary he kept for almost a decade. Though he had no maritime experience, Pepys rose to be the Chief Secretary to the Admiralty under both Charles II and James II through patronage, diligence, and his talent for administration. His influence and reforms at the English Admiralty were important in the early professionalisation of the Royal Navy.
Go Ask Alice is a 1971 book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of self-destructive escapism. Attributed to "Anonymous", the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as being the edited actual diary of the unnamed teenage protagonist. Questions about the book's authenticity and true authorship began to arise in the late 1970s, and Beatrice Sparks is now generally viewed as the author of the found manuscript–styled fictional document. Sparks went on to write numerous other books purporting to be real diaries of troubled teenagers. Some sources have also named Linda Glovach as a co-author of the book. Nevertheless, its popularity has endured, and, as of 2014, it had remained continuously in print since its publication over four decades earlier.
Stouffer's is a brand of frozen prepared foods currently owned by Nestlé. Its products are available in the United States and Canada. Stouffer's is known for such popular fare as lasagna, macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, ravioli, fettuccine Alfredo, and salisbury steak. It also produces a line of reduced-fat products under the Lean Cuisine brand name. In February 2023, Nestle Canada announced their intentions to wind down and exit the frozen meals and pizza business within the next six months.
Edward Robb Ellis was an American diarist and journalist. During his career he worked in New Orleans, Chicago and New York City. Ellis began his diary in 1927 as a teenager and wrote almost every day for more than 70 years, filling a volume each year.
Arthur Crew Inman was a reclusive and unsuccessful American poet whose 17-million-word diary, extending from 1919 to 1963, is one of the longest English-language diaries on record.
Donald Stuart Leslie Friend was an Australian artist and diarist who lived much of his life overseas. He has been the subject of controversy since the posthumous publication of diaries in which he wrote about how he sexually abused children during his time in Bali.
Renaissance Hotels was founded as Ramada Renaissance in 1981, as an upscale brand of Ramada Inns. Hong Kong–based New World Development (NWD) acquired Ramada in 1989 and re-launched Renaissance Hotels as a separate brand. The brand was acquired by Marriott International in 1997. As of January 31, 2023, it has over 170 hotels worldwide.
James Woodforde was an English clergyman, mainly in Somerset and Norfolk, remembered as the author of The Diary of a Country Parson. This vivid account of parish life remained unpublished until the 20th century.
Sir Henry Channon, known as Chips Channon, was an American-born British Conservative politician, author and diarist. Channon moved to England in 1920 and became strongly anti-American, feeling that American cultural and economic views threatened traditional European and British civilisation. He wrote extensively about these views. Channon quickly became enamoured of London society and became a social and political climber.
John Robert McCrum is an English writer and editor who held senior editorial positions at Faber & Faber over seventeen years, followed by a long association with The Observer.
Vernon Bigelow Stouffer was an American entrepreneur, philanthropist & businessman. Stouffer graduated from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1923. He was the founder and president of the Stouffer Hotels Co., Stouffer Frozen Foods Co. Stouffer's Restaurants Co., and Cottage Creamery Co., all operated under the umbrella of The Stouffer Corporation, established and incorporated on January 4, 1929, by Vernon and his father, Abraham E. Stouffer. Vernon Stouffer was recognized as pioneering the frozen food and microwavable foods industry.
Meedy White Shields was an American pioneer and politician in the state of Indiana, who was successful in various business ventures and founded the city of Seymour. He was a nephew of John Shields of Lewis and Clark fame, a first cousin to General John Tipton and a distant cousin of the diarist Robert Shields.
A lifelog is a personal record of one's daily life in a varying amount of detail, for a variety of purposes. The record contains a comprehensive dataset of a human's activities. The data could be used to increase knowledge about how people live their lives. In recent years, some lifelog data has been automatically captured by wearable technology or mobile devices. People who keep lifelogs about themselves are known as lifeloggers.
Weston Woods Studios is a production company that makes audio and short films based on well-known books for children. It was founded in 1953 by Morton Schindel in Weston, Connecticut, and named after the wooded area near his home. Weston Woods Studios' first project was Andy and the Lion in 1954; its first animated film was The Snowy Day in 1964. In 1968, Weston Woods began a long collaboration with animator Gene Deitch. Later, they opened international offices in Henley-on-Thames, England, UK (1972), as well as in Canada (1975) and Australia (1977). In addition to making the films, Weston Woods also conducted interviews with the writers, illustrators, and makers of the films. The films have appeared on children's television programs such as Captain Kangaroo, Eureeka's Castle, and Sammy's Story Shop. In the mid-1980s, the films were released on VHS under the Children's Circle titles, and Wood Knapp Video distributed these releases from 1988 to 1995.
Countess Sophia Andreyevna Tolstaya, sometimes anglicised as Sofia Tolstoy, Sophia Tolstoy and Sonya Tolstoy, was a Russian diarist, and the wife of writer Count Leo Tolstoy.
A diary is a written or audiovisual memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, thoughts, and/or feelings, excluding comments on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone who keeps a diary is known as a diarist. Diaries undertaken for institutional purposes play a role in many aspects of human civilization, including government records, business ledgers, and military records. In British English, the word may also denote a preprinted journal format.
Verbosity, or verboseness, is speech or writing that uses more words than necessary. The opposite of verbosity is succinctness.
Queen Victoria maintained diaries and journals throughout her life, filling 122 volumes which were expurgated after her death by her daughter Princess Beatrice. Extracts were published during her life and sold well. The collection is stored in the Royal Archives and, in 2012, was put online in partnership with the Bodleian Libraries.
Robert Woodford was an English lawyer, best known for an extensive diary that covers the period 1637–1641. He expresses the views of a Puritan travelling just before the English Civil War.