The Ohio Connection
- Lois Lenski was born in Springfield on October 14, 1893.
- When she was five years old, her family moved to Anna.
- Since Anna had no secondary school, Lois commuted to Sidney for high school.
- In 1911, Professor Lenski received an appointment to Capital University, his alma mater and the family moved to Columbus.
- Lois attended The Ohio State University where she majored in Education, with a minor in Fine Arts.
- Lois Lenski drew on her childhood experiences in Ohio when writing her first two autobiographical books, Skipping Village in 1927, and A Little Girl of 1900, published in 1928.
- Skipping Village is Lenski’s literary name for Anna.
- In recalling her Anna years, Miss Lenski wrote, “Anna, Ohio, in the early 1900’s was a perfect child’s town—it offered all a child could enjoy and comprehend.”
- Her book, Bayou Suzette, published in 1943, won the Ohioana Book Award.
- In 1952, the public library in Sidney made Lois Lenski their representative author during National Book Week. She wrote a special story, “My Ohio Childhood,” to accompany the book display.
- In 1953, Lois returned to Springfield to celebrate her 60th birthday.
- Because of her ties to Capital University in Columbus, she donated many original manuscripts, drawings and letters to their library in 1969, where they are housed as a special collection.
- A commemorative marker was dedicated to Lois Lenski on November 6, 2003 in Anna. The marker is at Anna Community Branch Library.
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