From: Julie Cummins <juliecummins>
Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 19:10:28 -0500

I am compelled to send a message adding to the thread about the mystique of Anne Carroll Moore and her influence on children's book publishing. ACM, as she was referred to, was the first children's coordinator at The New York Public Library beginning in 1906 and I served as the seventh from 1987 00. I wrote an article on the relationship of NYPLs children's coordinators with children's publishing and found the archives rich with handwritten letters, correspondence, and personal tributes from authors and illustrators whose careers she initiated and took a hand in shaping. Without a doubt, she was a force, both within libraries and in publishing. She was a grand dame (not without her quirks) who reigned for 40 years and her influence was far-reaching. A short version of my original article is included in Bernice Cullinan's The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature under the heading,
"Librarians and Publishing" on page 480.

And on a somewhat personal note, I will mention my biography, Tomboy of the Air, (Harper 2000), about the first woman to fly in America. Everyone assumes it was Amelia Earhart but Blanche Stuart Scott flew in 1910 and went on to set numerous aviation firsts. She was a feminist before the term had meaning and I am thrilled that she is one of the ten women to be initiated into the Women's Hall of Fame next fall. She braved a world that was male territory only and opened the door for women to test their wings and soar with the best of pilots, male or female.
(Unfortunately, the publisher has let the book go out of print - contact me for copies.)

Thanks for indulging me this posting about two women who influenced my life.

Julie Cummins
Received on Wed 17 Nov 2004 06:10:28 PM CST