III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 178 

Honoring the life and legacy of award-winning children’s author Beverly 

Cleary. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 22, 2021 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. MERKLEY) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and legacy of award-winning children’s 

author Beverly Cleary. 

Whereas Beverly Atlee Cleary was born Beverly Atlee Bunn 

to Chester Lloyd Bunn and Mable Atlee Bunn on April 

12, 1916, in McMinnville, Oregon; 

Whereas Beverly Cleary grew up on her family’s farm near 

Yamhill, Oregon, and titled her 1988 memoir ‘‘A Girl 

From Yamhill’’; 

Whereas Beverly Cleary moved north to Portland, Oregon, 

with her family when she was 6 years old; 

Whereas Beverly Cleary attended grade school in Portland 

and graduated from Grant High School in 1934; 

Whereas Beverly Cleary attended Chaffey College in Ontario, 

California, and then graduated from the University of 


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•SRES 178 ATS 

California, Berkeley, with a bachelor’s degree in English 

in 1938; 

Whereas, in 1939, Beverly Cleary earned a master’s degree 

in library science from what was then the School of Librarianship at the University of Washington; 

Whereas, in 1940, Beverly Cleary eloped with Clarence 

Cleary, whom Beverly Cleary met while studying at the 

University of California, Berkeley; 

Whereas Beverly Cleary worked as a children’s librarian in 

Yakima, Washington, and later at an Army hospital in 

Oakland, California; 

Whereas, in 1950, William Morrow published the first book 

by Beverly Cleary, ‘‘Henry Huggins’’, which is about the 

adventures of a young boy who lived on Klickitat Street 

in Northeast Portland, Oregon, and was the first book in 

the Henry Huggins series; 

Whereas, in 1955, William Morrow published the first book 

in the Ramona series, ‘‘Beezus and Ramona’’, which is 

about 9-year-old Beatrice ‘‘Beezus’’ Quimby and her 4- 

year-old sister, who, like Henry Huggins, also lived on 

Klickitat Street in Northeast Portland, Oregon; 

Whereas Beverly Cleary’s books earned praise for engaging 

young readers and capturing the world as children saw 

and understood it; 

Whereas Beverly Cleary wrote more than 40 children’s books, 

which sold more than 85,000,000 copies by enchanting 

readers of all ages with the adventures of Ramona, 

Henry, and many other memorable characters; 

Whereas Beverly Cleary’s books continue to resonate with audiences across the United States, sparking the imaginaVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:39 Apr 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR178.ATS SR178

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•SRES 178 ATS 

tion of countless children and instilling a lifelong love of 

reading; 

Whereas Beverly Cleary won numerous awards and accolades 

throughout her career, including— 

(1) the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal in 1975 for substantial contributions to children’s literature; 

(2) a Newbery Honor in 1978 for ‘‘Ramona and Her 

Father’’; 

(3) a National Book Award in 1981 for ‘‘Ramona 

and Her Mother’’; 

(4) a Newbery Honor in 1982 for ‘‘Ramona Quimby, 

Age 8’’; 

(5) a Newbery Medal in 1984 for ‘‘Dear Mr. 

Henshaw’’; 

(6) the Library of Congress ‘‘Living Legend’’ award 

in 2000 for her creative contributions to American life; 

and 

(7) the National Medal of Arts in 2003, the highest 

award given to artists by the United States Government; 

and 

Whereas Beverly Cleary died on March 25, 2021, at the age 

of 104, leaving a behind a legacy of relatable characters 

and skillful storytelling: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the life and legacy of award-winning 

3 children’s author Beverly Cleary, including— 

4 (A) the lifelong commitment of Beverly 

5 Cleary to brightening the lives of children; and 

6 (B) the outstanding contributions of Bev7 erly Cleary to children’s literature; 


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•SRES 178 ATS 

1 (2) expresses its profound regret at the an2 nouncement of the passing of beloved author Beverly 

3 Cleary; 

4 (3) extends its sympathy to the family of Bev5 erly Cleary; 

6 (4) recognizes Beverly Cleary as one of the 

7 most significant and successful authors of the 20th 

8 century; and 

9 (5) directs the Secretary of the Senate to trans10 mit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the family 

11 of Beverly Cleary. 

Æ 


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