Edgar White Burrill (June 8, 1883 – December 5, 1958)''California, Death Index, 1940-1997'' was an American critic and lecturer on books and the literary scene who organized the 1920s Literary Vespers series held at Aeolian Hall and

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

. Burrill was a major precursor to radio drama with his dramatic radio readings during the 1920s and 1930s, and one of these readings led to a milestone in broadcasting. He was a professor of English at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. Burrill was born in Boston and graduated from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in the year 1906, a member of the

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad ...

fraternity. He received his master's degree in 1910 from Lake Forest University and Northwestern before becoming a Northwestern professor. He gave annual readings of

Ida M. Tarbell Ida Minerva Tarbell (November 5, 1857January 6, 1944) was an American writer, investigative journalist, biographer and lecturer. She was one of the leading muckrakers of the Progressive Era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and pione ...

's ''He Knew Lincoln'' on WJZ during the 1920s. His reading in 1923 inspired George Furness of the National Carbon Company to produce ''

The Eveready Hour ''The Eveready Hour'' was the first sponsor (commercial), commercially sponsored variety program in the history of broadcasting. It premiered December 4, 1923 (or, according to other sources, November 4, 1923, or February 12, 1924), on WFAN, WEAF ...

'', the first commercially sponsored variety program in the history of broadcasting. In 1925, he gave a recitation of

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

's '' Evangeline'' on radio with a musical background by Max Jacob's Chamber Symphony Orchestra. This was broadcast on Tuesday, November 24, 1925, at 9 pm over WEAF, WEEI, WFI, WCAE, WGR, WWJ, WSAI, WTAG, WOC, WCCO and KSD. The following year, he was heard on WJZ conducting the opening Literary Vespers of the 1926–27 season from Aeolian Hall. The subject Burrill selected for the opening Vespers was "The Mask of Civilization," along with a discussion of Eugene O'Neill's ''The Great God Brown''. In 1931, Burrill told "The Story of Our Flag" over WJZ as part of the Flag Day celebration, and he took part in a Memorial Day broadcast that same year.''The New York Times'', June 14, 1931.
/ref> Burrill did some of his writing as a guest at the

Yaddo Yaddo is an artists' community located on a estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.". On March ...

artists retreat. His play '' Master Skylark'', an adaptation of John Bennett's story of Shakespeare's times, was a staple of children's theater during the 1920s. He died in San Francisco in 1958.

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Yaddo Writers: June 1926 – December 2007
1883 births 1958 deaths American radio personalities Amherst College alumni Lake Forest College alumni Writers from Boston {{US-radio-bio-stub