Walter Morey (February 3, 1907 – January 12, 1992), was a writer of numerous works of children's

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

, set in the U.S.

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

and

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, the places where Morey lived for all of his life. His book ''

Gentle Ben Gentle Ben is a bear character created by author Walt Morey and first introduced in a 1965 children's novel, ''Gentle Ben''. The original novel told the story of the friendship between a large male bear named Ben and a boy named Mark. The story pr ...

'' was the basis for the 1967 movie ''

Gentle Giant Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band were known for the complexity and sophistication of their music and for the varied musical skills of their members. All of the band members were multi-inst ...

'' and the 1967-1969 television show ''Gentle Ben''. He wrote a total of 17 published books, most of which involve as a central plot element the relationship between man and animals. Many of his works involve survival stories, or people going into the wild to "discover" themselves; redemption through nature is a common theme of Morey's works.

Life and career

Morey began going to school in 1912, in Jasper, Oregon. He was never very keen on school. In 1934 he began working in a veneer plant, making brushes in a paintbrush factory and doing work in the woods. On July 8, 1934, he married his first wife, Rosalind Ogden, in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. Rosalind died February 28, 1977. On June 26, 1978 he married Peggy Kilburn. Early in his writing career, he also published numerous short

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stories. For much of his life, he was a

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

and diver, in addition to being an author. Morey won awards for his books ''

'', ''

Kävik the Wolf Dog ''Kävik the Wolf Dog'' is a novel written in 1968 by Walt Morey. It won the 1968 Dutton Animal Book Award as a draft, resulting in its subsequent publication. Quote: Walt's books have twice won the Dutton Junior Animal Book Award. Made-for-TV m ...

'', '' Canyon Winter'', '' Runaway Stallion'', '' Run Far Run Fast'', and '' Year of the Black Pony''. *

Dutton Animal Book Award Dutton Animal Book Award was an American literary award established in 1963 by publisher E. P. Dutton to recognize a previously unpublished work of fiction or non-fiction relating to animals. The reward for the winner was a $7,500 to $15,000 advan ...

for ''Gentle Ben'' and '' Kavik the Wolf Dog'' *

Sequoyah Book Award The Sequoyah Book Award is a set of three annual awards for books selected by vote of Oklahoma students in elementary, middle, and high schools. The award program is named after Sequoyah (–1843), the Cherokee man who developed the Cherokee sylla ...

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award The Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (formerly the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award) annually recognizes one new American children's book selected by the vote of Vermont schoolchildren. It was inaugurated in 1957. The award is co-spon ...

* The Monique Alexis Hoswoot Award *

William Allen White Children's Book Award The William Allen White Children's Book Award is a set of two annual awards for books selected by vote of Kansas schoolchildren from lists prepared by committee. As a single award it was established in 1952 by Ruth Garver Gagliardo, a children's ...

Bibliography

*''No Cheers, No Glory'' (1945) *''

'' (1965) *'' North to Danger'' (1967) *''

'' (1968) *''Angry Waters'' (1969) *''Runaway Stallion'' (1970) *''Gloomy Gus'' (1970) *''Deep Trouble'' (1971) *''The Bear of Friday Creek'' (1971), illustrated by Derek Collard *''Scrub Dog of Alaska'' (1971) *''Canyon Winter'' (1972) *''Home is the North'' (1973) *''Run Far, Run Fast'' (1974) *''Operation Blue Bear'' (1975) *''Year of the Black Pony'' (1976) *''Sandy and the Rock Star'' (1979) *''Hero'' (1980) *''The Lemon Meringue Dog'' (1980) *''Death Walk'' (1991)

Memorials

Morey lived on property he owned in

Wilsonville, Oregon Wilsonville is a city primarily in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A portion of the northern section of the city is in Washington County. It was founded as Boones Landing because of the Boones Ferry which crossed the Willamette River at ...

and wrote many of his books there. After his death, his widow sold the property to developers. The resulting development was named Morey's Landing and also contains Walt Morey Park, a bear-themed park that features an 8-foot-tall life-size carved wooden statue of Morey's famous fictional bear,

. In 2012, the Gentle Ben statue was stolen from the park by local teens and dumped in a roadside ditch. It was later found and returned to the park. The Wilsonville Public Library has also honored Morey by naming its Walt Morey Children's Room after him, displaying a 3-foot-tall bronze statue of him and occasionally displaying other memorabilia, such as his typewriter and editions of his books.City of Wilsonville
"Wilsonville Library Displays Walt Morey's 60-Year-Old Typewriter."
The Oregonian, May 24, 2012, available online at Oregonlive.com, accessed May 23, 2015. The Reynolds School District in Troutdale, Oregon, opened Walt Morey Middle School in 1998.

References

*Something About the Author. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1990.

External links

by Larry Leonard, 1986
Guide to the Walter Nelson Morey papers 1939–1990
at the University of Oregon * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morey, Walt 1907 births 1992 deaths American children's writers Novelists from Oregon Writers from Aberdeen, Washington People from Wilsonville, Oregon People from Lane County, Oregon American male novelists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Washington (state)