Odell Shepard (1884–1967) was an American professor, poet, and politician known for his contributions to literature and public service.
Born in Sterling, Illinois, he attended Harvard University before becoming an English professor at Trinity College, where he taught 1917–46. He also served as Connecticut’s 86th Lieutenant Governor (1941–43.)
Shepard wrote extensively, covering poetry, essays, biographies, and history. His early works include A Lonely Flute (1917,) The Harvest of a Quiet Eye (1927,) and The Joys of Forgetting (1928.) His most acclaimed work, Pedlar’s Progress: The Life of Bronson Alcott (1937,) a biography of the Transcendentalist philosopher and father of Louisa May Alcott, won the Pulitzer for Biography (1938.) Other notable books include The Lore of the Unicorn (1930,) Thy Rod and Thy Creel (1930,) and Connecticut Past and Present (1939.)
He also edited works by Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Collaborating with his son, Willard Shepard, he co-authored historical novels like Holdfast Gaines (1946) and Jenkins’ Ear (1951.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Odell Shepard
There are people who not only strive to remain static themselves, but strive to keep everything else so … their position is almost laughably hopeless.
—Odell Shepard
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