Scott pendleton collins biography of michael
The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier, Normandy, France, 1944
This week on June 6th, I was sitting in the Children's Book and Author Breakfast at the BEA and listening to a short speech by Walter Dean Myers. Myers is at the moment serving as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, and not surprisingly, he is also the author of more than a few children's and YA books. Myers work cover a wide variety of topical themes, tough topics such as war, murder, drugs, juvy jail. But Myers has also written some wonderful historical fiction for teens, like The Glory Field, the 250 year history of an African American family from the first ancestor forcibly brought to this country in 1753 to their lives in the 1990s.
Among Myers's other historical fiction is a short novel about the D-Day landings told through the eyes of a 17 year old boy, Scott Pendleton Collins, who enlists in the army, hoping to emulate the bravery of his great grandfather and father.who fought in the Civil War and World War I respectively. Their pictures hang in the Collins living room because they are considered war heroes by the family. And it is Scott's hope that someday his picture will hang with theirs.
No one was supposed to write anything about what was going on in a war in case they were captured and had written some vital information down that could be of use to the enemy. And Scott knows this, but he begins to write about his experiences anyway. And so we get a privileged look at his life at this pivotal moment in time, beginning in England and the monotony of training day after day while waiting for weather conditions to be perfect for a successful landing at Normandy Beach. The idea is to first take the beach back from th
All of the characters that appear in The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins by Walter Dean Myers.
Main characters[]
Scott Collins[]
- Main article: Scott Collins
Sergeant Scott Pendleton Collins (August 14, 1926 – March 19, 1992) was a military officer in the 116th Infantry Regiment. He fought in the Battle of Normandy during World War II. Scott was promoted to sergeant, before being injured and sent to recover in England. He was best friends with Bobby Joe Hunter, who fought alongside Scott throughout the war.
Supporting characters[]
Angie Gardiner[]
Angie Gardiner Gadsen was a citizen of Roanoke, Virginia. She had "blue-gray eyes and dark blonde hair", and also wore glasses. Angie was good friends with Scott Collins, and had a crush on him. In the summer of 1945, Angie and her family moved to Anniston, Alabama, where she met her first husband, John Gadsen. They moved close to the San Diego Naval Station and had six children. Angie became a school crossing guard, after her husband's death.
Arthur Rowe[]
Lieutenant Arthur Rowe (died June 1986) was the leader of Scott's platoon. He was a strong and capable soldier. Lt. Rowe trusted Scott and recommended him for a promotion. Arthur was wounded at Brest, France and presumably sent home. After the war, he opened a sporting-goods store and coached basketball for twenty-five years. Arthur passed away in June 1986 at a veterans hospital in Martinsburg.
Bobby Joe Hunter[]
Bobby Joe Hunter was Scott's best friend. They went to the same high school in Roanoke, but did not become friends until after joining the army. After the war, Bobby Joe attended William and Mary College and earned a bachelor's degree in history. He married Sylvia Cooke and worked as a teacher for thirty years. Him and his wife opened a used bookstore, after his retirement. He remained friends with Scott for the rest of his life.
J.J. Dandridge[]
J.J. Dandridge (died Scott Pendleton Collins May – August 1944 Scott Pendleton Collins (August 14, 1926 – March 19, 1992) was an American soldier in the 116th Infantry Regiment during World War II. He participated in the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy in 1944. His best friend was Bobby Joe Hunter, who fought alongside Scott during the war. Scott Collins was born on August 14, 1926 to James and Mrs. Collins. He grew up in Roanoke, Virginia with his younger brother and sister, Danny and Ellen. Scott's great-grandfather fought in the Civil War and his father in World War I. He was a Boy Scout during his childhood. At the age seventeen, Scott enlisted in the United States Army and joined the 116th Infantry Regiment. After training in Virginia at Camp A.P. Hill, Scott was shipped out to England. On June 6, 1944, Scott landed on Omaha Beach in France during the Battle of Normandy. Scott's friend, Bobby Joe Hunter found him a few days later. They and their platoon began heading toward St. Lô, but were forced back to St. Andre. They were making slow progress, when Lieutenant Rowe ordered Scott and Bobby Joe to inspect a house for Germans. Their friend, Crockett, joined them and died by gunshot. Scott was shaken up by Crockett's death. In late June, the troop headed for St. Lô again, but their advance was still slow. A few days later, Lt. Rowe took Scott on a mission to capture a German soldier. They came at him from behind and Scott grabbed him by the neck, while Lt. Rowe held him down. This was most likely one of the factors for Scott's promotion to Serg Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsberg, West Virginia. When he was three years old, his mother died and his father sent him to live with Herbert and Florence Dean in Harlem, New York. He began writing stories while in his teens. He dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Army at the age of 17. After completing his army service, he took a construction job and continued to write. He entered and won a 1969 contest sponsored by the Council on Interracial Books for Children, which led to the publication of his first book, Where Does the Day Go? During his lifetime, he wrote more than 100 fiction and nonfiction books for children and young adults. His works include Fallen Angels, Bad Boy, Darius and Twig, Scorpions, Lockdown, Sunrise Over Fallujah, Invasion, Juba!, and On a Clear Day. He also collaborated with his son Christopher, an artist, on a number of picture books for young readers including We Are America: A Tribute from the Heart and Harlem, which received a Caldecott Honor Award, as well as the teen novel Autobiography of My Dead Brother. He was the winner of the first-ever Michael L. Printz Award for Monster, the first recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, and a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. He also won the Coretta Scott King Award for African American authors five times. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness, at the age of 76.Full name
Timeline
Biography[]
Early life[]
World War II[]
The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier