Robert Newton Peck
Encyclopedia
Robert Newton Peck is an American
author
who writes young adult
novels. His works include Soup and A Day No Pigs Would Die
. He claims his birth date as February 17, 1928, but refused to specify where. Similarly, he states he graduated from a high school in Texas, yet again refuses to identify the specific location. Various sources indicate his birth place as Nashville, Tennessee
. Though stated as his mother's birth place, other sources indicate the actual location as Ticonderoga, New York
, and Peck, himself, may have been born there as well. The only verified Vermont connection, which Peck hints as his real birth place, comes from his father who was born in Sunderland, Vermont.
Peck served in World War II as a machine-gunner in the U.S. Army
88th Infantry Division. After the returned to the United States, Peck entered Rollins College
, graduating in 1953. He then entered Cornell Law School
, but failed to complete his studies.
He married Dorothy Anne Houston and fathered two children: Anne and Christopher. The best man at the wedding, and the godfather to the children, was Fred Rogers of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood fame.
Peck published his first novel, A Day No Pigs Would Die, in 1972 at the age of forty-four. To date, his credits include fifty-five novels, six nonfiction works, thirty-five songs, three television specials, and over one-hundred poems.
In 1984, Peck was sued by Mary Jo Wardlaw, an Erskine College
student, for outrageous conduct causing severe emotional distress and slander, for comments he made during a convocation
speech at the college. 318 S.E.2d 284, S.C.App., 1984. A South Carolina
appeals court upheld a $24,000 jury verdict
against Peck for slander (the jury had stricken the outrageous conduct count, which is substantially the same as a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress
), on the theory that when Peck cast an aspersion upon Wardlaw's chastity
, his public remarks were slanderous per se.
In 1993, Peck was diagnosed with oral cancer. As of 2005, he lives in Longwood, Florida
with his wife.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
who writes young adult
Young adult literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...
novels. His works include Soup and A Day No Pigs Would Die
A Day No Pigs Would Die
A Day No Pigs Would Die is a 1972 coming of age story by Robert Newton Peck about a 13-year-old boy named Robert. It is Peck's first novel; the sequel, A Part of the Sky, was published in 1994.-Background:...
. He claims his birth date as February 17, 1928, but refused to specify where. Similarly, he states he graduated from a high school in Texas, yet again refuses to identify the specific location. Various sources indicate his birth place as Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Though stated as his mother's birth place, other sources indicate the actual location as Ticonderoga, New York
Ticonderoga, New York
Ticonderoga is a town in Essex County, New York, USA. The population was 5,167 at the 2000 census. The name comes from the Mohawk tekontaró:ken, meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways"....
, and Peck, himself, may have been born there as well. The only verified Vermont connection, which Peck hints as his real birth place, comes from his father who was born in Sunderland, Vermont.
Peck served in World War II as a machine-gunner in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
88th Infantry Division. After the returned to the United States, Peck entered Rollins College
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
, graduating in 1953. He then entered Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School, located in Ithaca, New York, is a graduate school of Cornell University and one of the five Ivy League law schools. The school confers three law degrees...
, but failed to complete his studies.
He married Dorothy Anne Houston and fathered two children: Anne and Christopher. The best man at the wedding, and the godfather to the children, was Fred Rogers of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood fame.
Peck published his first novel, A Day No Pigs Would Die, in 1972 at the age of forty-four. To date, his credits include fifty-five novels, six nonfiction works, thirty-five songs, three television specials, and over one-hundred poems.
In 1984, Peck was sued by Mary Jo Wardlaw, an Erskine College
Erskine College
Erskine College is a four year, Christian liberal arts college located in Due West, South Carolina.-Early history:Established in 1839 by the Associate Reformed Synod of the South as an academy for men, Erskine College became the first four year, church-related college in South Carolina...
student, for outrageous conduct causing severe emotional distress and slander, for comments he made during a convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
speech at the college. 318 S.E.2d 284, S.C.App., 1984. A South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
appeals court upheld a $24,000 jury verdict
Verdict
In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. The term, from the Latin veredictum, literally means "to say the truth" and is derived from Middle English verdit, from Anglo-Norman: a compound of ver and dit In law, a verdict...
against Peck for slander (the jury had stricken the outrageous conduct count, which is substantially the same as a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress
Intentional infliction of emotional distress
Intentional infliction of emotional distress is a tort claim of recent origin for intentional conduct that results in extreme emotional distress. Some courts and commentators have substituted mental for emotional, but the tort is the same...
), on the theory that when Peck cast an aspersion upon Wardlaw's chastity
Chastity
Chastity refers to the sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion....
, his public remarks were slanderous per se.
In 1993, Peck was diagnosed with oral cancer. As of 2005, he lives in Longwood, Florida
Longwood, Florida
Longwood is a city in Seminole County, Florida, USA. The population was 13,745 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 13,491. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area....
with his wife.