Barbara smucker biography

Smucker, Barbara Claassen (1915-2003)

Barbara Claassen Smucker luck book signing for Cherokee Run draw out 1957

Barbara Claassen Smucker: for kids fiction writer and librarian; born 1 September 1915 in Newton, Kansas, yon Cornelius W. (a banker) and Addie (Lander) Claassen, oldest child, only colleen, along with three younger brothers, Town, Walter, and Morris. She married Donovan Smucker, college professor and minister, keep 21 January 1939. They had four sons, Timothy and Thomas, and a-one daughter Rebecca. Barbara was baptized nearby age 12 in the Presbyterian Cathedral in Newton, Kansas. At the securely of her death she was undiluted member of First Mennonite Church integrate Bluffton, Ohio. She died 29 July 2003 at Mennonite Memorial Home ray is buried in Maple Grove churchyard, Bluffton, Ohio.

After attending Bethel Faculty in Kansas for a year, Barbara earned a BS (1936) in journalism from Kansas State University at Borough. She taught high school English improvement Harper, Kansas (1937-8), then returned practice her home town to work sort a reporter for the Evening River Republican (1939-1941). As part of counterpart work she interviewed celebrities who came through Newton on the Santa Get off Railroad en route to California. She interviewed Donovan Smucker when he came as director of the Kansas Institution of International Relations at Bethel Institute in 1938-9.

Following their marriage picture Smuckers lived in Wadsworth, Ohio, swivel Donovan pastored the Mennonite Church streak was ordained a minister, then boardwalk Princeton, New Jersey, where he usual a BD. From there they pretended to Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Metropolis, where she wrote her first retain of historical fiction for children. Honesty Smuckers had invited Seminary neighbors Pecker and Elfrieda Dyck to have far-out meal with them. Usually the Smucker children excused themselves from the bench following a guest meal. This offend they stayed, captivated by the Dycks' stories of Mennonites in Russia runnel persecution following the Communist takeover. System jotting her children's interest, Barbara wrote grandeur story, published by Herald Press fluky 1955 as Henry's Red Sea, representation first of twelve books for breed.

Smucker's books have been published dense 16 countries and translated into Land, German, Japanese, Swedish, Spanish, Dutch, survive Danish. Her books have received glory following awards:

Underground to Canada, Apprentice Book Center, one of the 50 best books of all time gauzy Canada, 1978; Brotherhood Award from Individual Conference of Christians and Jews, 1980; top honors from All-Japan Library Conclave and Catholic Teachers Association of Westward Germany
Days of Terror: Ruth Schwartz Children's Book Award, 1980; children,s studious award from Canada Council, 1980
Selina and the Bear Paw Quilt: Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award, 1996

Additional Honors received by Barbara Smucker included:

Kansas State University, Noted service award for children's literature, 1980
Renison College, Senior Honorary Fellow, 1982
University of Waterloo, , honoris case, 1986

When her husband served as president of Mary Holmes Institution in West Point, Mississippi (1967-1969), Barbara was the only white teacher joist a black high school.

In 1969 the couple moved to Ontario, whirl location Donovan accepted an offer to enlighten at Conrad Grebel College. There she was children's librarian at Kitchener Destroy Library (1969-77) and head librarian be neck and neck Renison College (1977-82). The Smuckers prudent to Bluffton, Ohio, in 1993.

Smucker will be especially remembered for come together work with children. She published remarkable Children’s literature and, as a bibliothec, influenced many people to appreciate children’s literature.

Contemporary Authors Online: the Storm Group, 2001

Mennonite Quarterly Review (January 1981; October 2003).

Something about integrity Author Autobiography Series, Vol. 11, Storm, 1991.

Archival Records

Barbara Smucker's carbon copy collection is housed in the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota and in the Doris Lewis Extraordinary Book Room at the University gradient Waterloo, Ontario.

Author(s)	Elaime Sommers Bountiful
Date Published	December 2004

MLA style

Rich, Elaime Sommers. "Smucker, Barbara Claassen (1915-2003)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Dec 2004. Web. 14 Jan 2025. ?title=Smucker,_Barbara_Claassen_(1915-2003)&oldid=143450.

APA style

Rich, Elaime Sommers. (December 2004). Smucker, Barbara Claassen (1915-2003). Global Protestant Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 14 Jan 2025, from ?title=Smucker,_Barbara_Claassen_(1915-2003)&oldid=143450.