by Anne on February 14, 2010
Katherine Stinson Otero, aviator
Feb. 14, 1891-July 8, 1977

Katherine Stinson Otero, High Flyer by Neila Skinner Petrick, illustrated by Daggi Wallace (Pelican, 2006)
High flyer, indeed. Stinson was the fourth woman in the U.S. to earn a pilot’s license and performed throughout the world. But when she was denied permission to fly for the armed services in WWI, she raised money for the effort by flying in exhibitions.
The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission posts a bio of Stinson on their site.
by Anne on February 13, 2010
Grant Wood, artist
Feb. 13, 1891-Feb. 12, 1942

Artist in Overalls: The Life of Grant Wood by John Duggleby (Chronicle, 1996)
A picture book biography about the man who grew up to paint American Gothic showcases his love of the Heartland and determination to paint his own way.
Going Back to Iowa: The World of Grant Wood looks at Woods’ world and work.
by Anne on January 7, 2010

Zora N. Hurston, author
Jan. 7, 1891-Jan. 28, 1060
Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy (Charlesbridge, 2005)
Z is for Zora in this tribute to famous women. An African-American writer during the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston was also a folklorist and anthropologist.
A page about Zora Neale Hurston is available at the VG: Voices from the Gaps Women Artists and Writers of Color, An International Website. It offers information about Hurston’s life and times, writings, and criticism.
by Anne on September 3, 2009
Bessie Delany, dentist and author
Sept. 3, 1891- Sept. 25,1995

Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made a Difference by Joyce Hansen (Scholastic, 1998)
Bessie Delany, who lived to be 104, came to national attention when she and her sister and a New York Times reporter collaborated on the story of her and her sister’s life: Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years. Delany was the second African American woman to become a dentist in NY.
For more information about Bessie Delany, visit the Columbia250 web site.
by Anne on April 23, 2009
Sergei Prokofiev, musician
April 23, 1891-March 5, 1953

Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1993)
The Russian composer of Peter and the Wolf, dreamed of composing from an early age.
“All Prokifiev. All the time,” is how The Prokofiev Page describes itself. Drop by for a biography, photographs, interviews and links.