William E. Vaughan (October 8, 1915 – February 25, 1977) was an American
columnist
A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...
and
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
. Born in
Saint Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which ...
, he wrote a syndicated column for the ''
Kansas City Star
''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...
'' from 1946 until his death in 1977. He was published in ''
Reader's Digest
''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
'' and ''
Better Homes and Gardens'' under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
Burton Hillis.
He attended
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
.
He is known and still quoted decades later for his folksy
aphorisms
An aphorism (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often hand ...
, some of which were published in his "Starbeams" feature. They have been collected in books and on
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
sites. Bill Vaughan died at age 61 of
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
.
Aphorisms
Examples of his aphorisms which have been quoted long after his death include:
*"To Err is Human; To Really Foul Things Up Requires a Computer"
[ quoting 1969 April 2, Free Lance-Star, Senator Soaper ree standing quote Page 1, Column 2, Fredericksburg, Virginia.]
*"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a family all wrapped up in each other."
*"Frankly, the feeling of the adult contingent in the second house from the corner is that, instead of taking down the Christmas decorations, it will be easier to move."
*"A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works."
Books
He wrote three books, ''Bird Thou Never Wert,'' a 1962 collection of columns, ''Sorry I Stirred It'' 1964, and ''Half the Battle'' 1967.
[ Posthumous collections were published, columns in 1979, ''The Best of Bill Vaughan''.]
References
*
*
Sources
Basic Famous People
Kansas City Public Library
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughan, William E.
1977 deaths
Washington University in St. Louis alumni
The Kansas City Star people
1915 births
American male writers
20th-century American writers
20th-century American businesspeople