The Ohio Connection

• Robert McCloskey was born September 15, 1914, in Hamilton, Ohio, a city located between Cincinnati and Dayton.
• He was educated at Hamilton’s public schools.
• During summers in college he worked at the Hamilton YMCA. The totem pole he carved as a camp counselor caught the attention of an architect who recognized his talents and recommended the young McCloskey to execute a project for a city building.
• At age 19 McCloskey was commissioned to carve relief work on Hamilton’s municipal building.
• Several of McCloskey’s books – including Lentil, Centerburg Tales and Homer Price -- reflect his Ohio childhood and depict scenes of everyday life in the Midwest.
• Named the “City of Sculpture,” McCloskey’s hometown of Hamilton erected a life-sized sculpture of the fictional character depicted in the author’s first book: Lentil.