Mary Stolz
Mary Stolz (born Mary Slattery, March 24, 1920 – December 15, 2006) was an American writer of fiction for children and young adults. Her works received Newbery Honors in 1962 and 1966 and her entire body of work was awarded the George G. Stone Recognition of Merit in 1982. Her literary works range from picture books to young-adult novels. Although most of Stolz's works are fiction books, she made a few contributions to magazines such as "Cosmopolitan, Ladies' Home Journal", and "Seventeen". Biography. Early life. Mary Slattery was born on March 24, 1920 in Boston, Massachusetts. Raised  in Manhattan, she attended the Birch Wathen School and served as assistant editor of her school magazine, "Birch Leaves". She attended Columbia University from 1936 to 1938 and the Katherine Gibbs School. Marriage and children. At age 18, she married and had one son, Bill. Chronic pain from arthritis worsened and she was housebound by 1949. During this time she began writing to occupy her time and ultimately drafted her first novel, "To Tell Your Love" (1950), on yellow legal pads. She divorced in 1956. Under doctor Thomas C. Jaleski's care, her disabling symptoms resolved and in 1965, she  married Dr. Jaleski. Career. "To Tell Your Love" brought Ms. Stolz into the stable of children's book editor Ursula Nordstrom. Mary Stolz admired Ursula Nordstrom, describing her as "a great editor...she reads a manuscript lovingly, but firmly, and I trust her judgement absolutely." She stayed with the Harper publishing company for much of her career, through its incarnations from Harper & Brothers to the present-day HarperCollins. Ms. Stolz wrote one book for adults, "Truth and Consequence". Death and afterward. Ms. Stolz died in Longboat Key, Florida.