Helen Aberson-Mayer (June 16, 1907 – April 3, 1999) was an American children's book author. Aberson-Mayer was best known for co-authoring the story that inspired

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

's 1941 film ''

Dumbo ''Dumbo'' is a 1941 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The fourth Disney animated feature film, it is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl, a ...

.'' In collaboration with her then husband, Harold Pearl, Aberson-Mayer wrote ''Dumbo the Flying Elephant'' and sold it to Roll-A-Book, the publisher of a kind of novelty toy, although no copies of this original version have been found. The story was later published as a children's book. Aberson-Mayer may have also authored several other children stories, but they were never published.

Early life and education

Aberson-Mayer was born on June 16, 1907, in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. Her parents were Anna and Morris Aberson. Her father is listed in city directories as a cigar maker in 1914 and as a grocer in 1930. Her parents were

Russian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...

immigrants. Aberson-Mayer graduated from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in 1929. After graduation she worked in New York City doing

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

. She returned to Syracuse in 1933 to direct dramatic actives at a children's camp and took a position as director of dramatical activities at a municipal recreational department. In August 1937, Aberson-Mayer started work as a

radio commentator Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitt ...

. According to her family, Aberson-Mayer may have written more children's books into the 1960s, but none of them were published. Her niece recalled two of their titles: ''Sim, the Seal'', and ''Otto, The Otter''. Aberson-Mayer died on April 3, 1999.

''Dumbo the Flying Elephant''

Aberson-Mayor met Harold Pearl in October 1937, and they

married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

on February 14, 1938. They co-wrote the ''Dumbo'' story and sold it to Roll-a-Book in 1939. No copies of the roll-a-book version have been found, though proofs of the story and examples of earlier versions of the medium indicate it may have existed. Everett Whitmyre, the Syracuse advertising agent behind Roll-a-Book, sold the story to Walt Disney Productions in 1939. The story was supplemented with illustrations by Helen Durney. Aberson-Mayor may have earned about $1,000, some royalties, and credit rights for the sale. A series of Disney Golden Book versions of the story began publication in 1940.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aberson-Mayor, Helen 1907 births 1999 deaths Dumbo People from Syracuse, New York Syracuse University alumni American writers