William Ellery (born Newport, Rhode Island, 1727; died Newport, Rhode Island, February 15, 1820) signed the Declaration of Independence, representing Rhode Island. He wanted to be a lawyer, but he had 16 children to support. Therefore, for many years he was a merchant. Finally he became wealthy enough to study law and then become a lawyer. During the Revolutionary War, the British destroyed Ellery’s home and most of Newport. After the war, he served in Congress and tried to abolish slavery. Children could learn more at: William Ellery.
Lady Bird Johnson
Claudia Alta Taylor (Lady Bird) Johnson (born Karnack, Texas, 1912; died Austin, Texas, July 11, 2007) was America’s First Lady from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969. She was the wife of Lyndon Baines Johnson, thirty-sixth president of the United States. She helped establish the Head Start program for preschool children, and she advocated for the environment. Children can visit a website at: Lady Bird Johnson. Mrs. Johnson wanted to eliminate many of the billboards along the highways. She felt the billboards detracted from nature’s beauty. Children could decide whether the billboards are unsightly or whether they help consumers make decisions. The First Lady organized vast expanses of wildflowers. Children could read Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America, written by Kathi Appelt and illustrated by Joy Fisher Hein.
James Edward Oglethorpe (born London, England, 1696; died Cranham Hall, Essex, England, June 30, 1785) was one of the leading organizers of the Georgia colony. In England at that time debtors were imprisoned. His goal was to bring the debtors to Georgia and give them a fresh start. Colonists were able to obtain farms of 50 acres. He encouraged the farmers to seek indentured servants from England, thus giving more poor people a chance of a decent life. Because Georgia was situated between British South Carolina and Spanish Florida, the colony became quite important.
Jerry Pinkney (born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1939; died Sleepy Hollow, New York, October 20, 2021) wrote and/or illustrated at least 200 books for children. He won an amazing amount of awards, including five Caldecott Honor Awards, five Coretta Scott King Awards, a Sydney Taylor Honor Award, and hosts of other medals and distinctions. He received the Caldecott Medal in 2010 for The Lion and the Mouse. Children could visit a website dedicated to him at: Jerry Pinkney and then have a Jerry Pinkney morning and read several of his works.
Giacomo Puccini (born Lucca, Italy, 1858; died Brussels, Belgium, November 29, 1924) was an opera composer. Two of his most famous operas are Tosca, created in 1900, and Madame Butterfly, completed in 1904.
William O. Steele (born Franklin, Tennessee, 1917; died Signal Mountain, Tennessee, June 25,1979) wrote 39 children’s books. His The Perilous Road received both the Jane Addams Award and a Newbery Honor Award in 1959.