Clinton Scollard (1860–1932) was an American poet and writer of fiction. He was a Professor of English at
Hamilton College
Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
.
Professional career
Scollard was born at
Clinton, Oneida County, New York
Clinton (or ''Ka-dah-wis-dag'', "white field" in Seneca language) is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,942 at the 2010 census. It was named for George Clinton, the first Governor of New York.
The Vill ...
on September 18, 1860, son of James Isaac and Mary Elizabeth (Stevens) Scollard.
He graduated from Hamilton College in 1881,
[ and later attended ]Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
,Bliss Carman
William Bliss Carman (April 15, 1861 – June 8, 1929) was a Canadian poet who lived most of his life in the United States, where he achieved international fame. He was acclaimed as Canada's poet laureate during his later years.
In Canada, Car ...
and Frank Dempster Sherman. At Hamilton, where he was a member of the Chi Psi
Chi Psi () is a fraternity consisting of active chapters (known as "Alphas") at 33 American colleges and universities. The mission of Chi Psi is to create and maintain an enduring society which encourages the sharing of traditions and values, res ...
fraternity, he played varsity baseball and is credited with introducing the curveball
In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...
to college baseball.
After a period in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he spent a year at University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
in England.[ In 1888 he became an Associate Professor of English at Hamilton College, where he remained until 1896. Except for a further year in the English Department at Hamilton College in 1911, he devoted the rest of his life to creative writing.]
Associates
Corresponded with Martha Foote Crowe. Oley Speaks
Oley Speaks (June 28, 1874 – August 7, 1948) was an American composer and songwriter.Oley Speaks at IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1672696/bio His compositions include many religious songs, as well as his best-known success, " On the Road to ...
composed the song "Sylvia" to lyrics by Scollard.
Family
On July 3, 1890 Scollard married Georgia Brown of Jackson, Michigan; they had one daughter Elizabeth Scollard Parlon, but they divorced in early 1924.Kent, Connecticut
Kent is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located alongside the border with New York, the town's population was 3,019 according to the 2020 census. Kent is home to three boarding schools: Kent School, the Marvelwood School ...
on November 19, 1932.
Assessment
Scollard has been characterized as a minor poet but a fine technician:
Principal works of verse
* ''Pictures in Song'' (1884)
* ''With Reed and Lyre'' (1886)
* ''Old and New World Lyrics'' (1888)
* ''Songs of Sunrise Lands'' (1982)
* ''Under Summer Skies'' (1892)
* ''On Sunny Shores'' (1893)
* ''The Hills of Song'' (1895)
* ''The Lutes of Morn'' (1901)
* ''Lyrics of the Dawn'' (1902)
* ''The Lyric Bough'' (1904)
* ''A Southern Flight'' (1906) (with Frank Dempster Sherman)
* ''Blank Verse Pastels'' (1907)
* ''Chords of the Zither'' (1910)
* ''Poems'' (1914)
* ''Sprays of Shamrock'' (1914)
* ''Italy in Arms, and Other Poems'' (1915)
* ''Vale of Shadows and Other Verses of the Great War'' (1915)
* ''Ballads, Patriotic and Romantic'' (1916)
* ''The Poems of Frank Dempster Sherman'', Ed. Clinton Scollard (1917)
* ''Lyrics From a Library'' (1917)
* ''The Bird-Lovers' Anthology'', Compiled by Clinton Scollard and Jessie Belle Rittenhouse (1930)
* ''Patrician Rhymes; a Résumé of American Society Verse from Philip Freneau to the Present Day'', Ed. by Clinton Scollard and Jessie B. Rittenhouse (1932)
* ''Songs from a Southern Shore'' (1932)
* ''The Singing Heart; Selected Lyrics and Other Poems of Clinton Scollard'' Ed. by Jessie B. Rittenhouse (1934)
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Scollard, Clinton
1860 births
1932 deaths
American male poets
Hamilton College (New York) faculty