E.B. White was born in Mount Vernon, New York in 1899, the son of Samuel and Jackie White, a prosperous piano manufacturer. He attended grade school in Mount Vernon, and soon realized his true passion for writing. After graduating from Cornell University in 1921, White worked in some miscellaneous jobs, such as a reporter for the United Press, American Legion News Service, and the Seattle Times. In 1924, he returned to New York. He worked as a production assistant and advertising copywriter before joining the recently established New Yorker. There he met his wife, Katherine Sergeant Angell, who was the magazine’s literary editor. They marrie

d in 1929, and for 11 years they wrote for the magazine editorial essays and contributed verse and other pieces. E.B. White also published numerous articles, short stories, books, essays and even a manual on writing style. He wrote profusely and about many aspects of life, including philosophy, the future, government, and humor. He was skeptical about organized religion, and advocated a respect for nature and simple living. White’s early collections of poetry, The Fox of Peapack and other Poems in 1928, and The Lady is Cold in 1929, showed his interest in the small things of the day, and the trivial matters of the heart. From 1938 to 1943 he wrote and edited a column called One Man’s Meat for Harper’s magazine. These collected essays, featuring White’s rural experiences, were published in 1942 and critic Todd Perlstien of the New York Times hailed this as White’s best book to date. However he first gained fame with the publication of Is Sex Necessary?, which White wrote with friends and colleague James Thurber. All of his writings triumphed, and White had earned a place with the most talented of writers.

And the accolades in White’s name only grew. His scholarly editorials and famed children’s books earned him an aura of respect in his time. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy named White as one of the thirty-one Americans to receive the Presidential Medal for Freedom. He was awarded the National Medal for Literature in 1971 for his total contribution to American writing. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1973. White was honored by many colleges and universities, where he was frequently asked to speak. In total, he received honorary degrees from seven of them.

Finally in 1970, White published The Trumpet of the Swan, in which a mute swan learns to trumpet and becomes a celebrity. He joked that he began writing The Trumpet of the Swan as a story for his 6-year-old niece but that by the time he had finished it she was all gown up. The popularity of this book, led to the winning of several awards including the Newberry Honor title. But what is perhaps the most important is that in these three works White explored such themes as loyalty, tolerance, and rural living. They have become for so many young readers unforgettably guides into the world of fiction.

"A single flight of planes no bigger than a wedge of geese can quickly end this island fantasy, burn the towers, crumble the bridges, turn the underground passages into lethal chambers, cremate millions. Of all targets New York has a certain clear priority. In the mind of whatever perverted dreamer might loose the lightening, New York must hold a steady, irresistible charm."

However, despite his superficial glow of happiness, on the inside White worried about the future and the

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