Ennis Samuel Rees, Jr. (March 17, 1925 – March 24, 2009) was an American poet and professor. He was named by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Richard Wilson Riley as the third South Carolina Poet Laureate from 1984 to 1985.

Biography

Early life and education

Rees was born in Newport News, Virginia, on March 17, 1925. His parents were Ennis Samuel, Sr., and Dorothy Drumwright Rees. In high school, he participated in track and lettered in football, focusing more on athletics than academics. He was also student body vice president and his senior class vice president as well. He graduated from the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...

with an

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in 1946 where he was

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

. He then went on to obtain both his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

, in 1948, and

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

, in 1951, from

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 high ...

Career

After graduating from Harvard with his M.A. degree, Rees became an English instructor at Duke University in 1949 while still pursuing his Ph.D. from Harvard. He remained at Duke until 1952 when he became an instructor at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

from 1952 to 1954. He then began a long career at the University of South Carolina in 1954, eventually becoming a full professor in 1963. He remained a professor at the university until his retirement in 1988.

Poet laureateship

Rees was named to be South Carolina's third poet laureate by Governor Dick Riley in 1984. Originally a life-time appointment, Riley changed the position some during his governorship and appointed Freeman to only a one-year term of office.

Personal life

Rees was married to the former Marion Lott. They had three children.

Awards and honors

* South Carolina Poet Laureate – 1984 * South Carolina Academy of Authors honoree – 1999

Works

In addition to his published books, some of Ennis' work has appeared in ''Journal of English'', ''

The Southern Review ''The Southern Review'' is a quarterly literary magazine that was established by Robert Penn Warren in 1935 at the behest of Charles W. Pipkin and funded by Huey Long as a part of his investment in Louisiana State University. It publishes fiction ...

'', ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...

'', and ''Germanic Philology''.

Non-fiction

* ''The Tragedies of George Chapman: Renaissance Ethics in Action'',

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

, 1954; Octagon Books, 1979,

Poetry

* ''Selected Poems'' University of South Carolina Press, 1973,

Children's verse

* ''The Song of Paul Bunyan and Tony Beaver'' (1964) * ''Riddles, Riddles Everywhere'' (Abelard-Schuman, 1964) * ''Pun Fun'' (Abelard-Schuman, 1965) * ''Fables from Aesop'' (

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1966) * '' Windwagon Smith'' (1966) * ''Tiny Tall Tales'' (1967) * ''Teeny Tiny Duck and the Pretty Money'' ( Prentice-Hall, 1967) * ''Brer Rabbit and His Tricks'' ( Young Scott Books, 1967) * ''The Little Greek Alphabet Book'' (Prentice-Hall, 1968) * ''More of Brer Rabbit's Tricks'' (1968) * ''Gillygaloos and Gollywhoppers'' (1969) * ''Potato Talk'' (1969) * ''Fast Freddie Frog and other tongue-twister rhymes'' (Caroline House distributed by St. Martin's Press, 1993)

Translations

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

's ''

The Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...

'' (Random House, 1960) * Homer's ''

The Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Ody ...

'' (Random House, 1963)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees, Ennis 1925 births 2009 deaths Poets Laureate of South Carolina American male poets College of William & Mary alumni Harvard University alumni People from Newport News, Virginia Writers from Columbia, South Carolina University of South Carolina faculty Poets from South Carolina 20th-century American poets Translators of Homer 20th-century American male writers