Mildred Wirt Benson(1905-2002)
- Writer
To many collectors and fans of series books and children's literature,
Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson was known as Carolyn Keene, Frances Judd,
Dorothy West, Helen Louise Thorndyke, among other pseudonyms. Writing
under various pen names as well as her own name, she penned over 130
books for children, numerous short stories plus thousands of newspaper
stories and columns. Known most famously for being the original Carolyn
Keene, author of 23 of the first 30 Nancy Drew mystery stories,
Mildred's legacy reaches beyond Nancy Drew to a most fascinating woman,
life, and career. Having always wanted to become a writer, her first
published work, The Courtesy, was printed in the children's magazine,
St. Nicholas, for which she won a silver badge. She was the first woman
and student to graduate with a masters in journalism in 1927 from the
University of Iowa, then State University of Iowa. She wrote her first
Nancy Drew book, The Secret of the Old Clock, when she was just 24
years old. Benson, known as Millie to friends and fans, was paid $125
per book and never received royalties from the books, movies and board
games. After a career in journalism spanning nearly 60 years, she
retired at the end of 2001 and scaled back her writing to a monthly
column for The Toledo Blade. Her legacy to children and adults will
never be forgotten, having inspired so many people from all walks of
life through her writing.