Francine Lewis
Born: Danville, Illinois
Died: February 10, 1986 in New York City. Pen Name: Helen Wells Connection to Illinois: Helen was born in Danville, Illinois. The family moved to New York City when Helen was about seven, and she loved New York. The family retained ties to Danville, however; almost every summer, they spent some time visiting relatives there. After her death in New York, she was laid to rest in Danville, Illinois. Biography: As a teenager, Wells studied painting at the Art Students League in New York City; she also studied music. At New York University, she became the first female editor of the school's literary quarterly. She graduated from NYU in 1934, with a major in philosophy and a minor in sociology and psychology. After graduation, she worked for a time as a social worker and began to write for magazines, and eventually turned to writing full-time after winning prizes in two short-story contests.During World War II, she served as a volunteer with the State Department's Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, escorting Latin American visitors in the United States.She traveled widely, visiting Brazil, Spain, France, Austria, Israel, Mexico, England, and several other countries. Among her other interests were reading, theater, ballet, and jazz. She was active in several author organizations, especially the Mystery Writers of America, and taught writing courses at the Institute of Children's Literature in Redding Ridge, Connecticut.
Awards:
- The 1986 Juvenile Series Writer's Conference, Corning, NY, was dedicated to the memory of Helen Wells.
Selected Titles
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Cherry Ames : ISBN: 0826104010 OCLC: 150376864 Springer Pub Co, 2006. |
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Cherry ames books 9-12 : ISBN: 0826104193 OCLC: 946660303 Springer Publishing, [Place of publication not identified] : 2007. |
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Cherry ames box set books 13-16 : ISBN: 0826104290 OCLC: 946635681 Springer Publishing, [Place of publication not identified] : 2007. |
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Cherry Ames Nursing Series, Books 1-4 (Box Set) (The Cherry Ames Nursing Stories) ISBN: 0977159744 OCLC: 149624643 Springer Publishing Company 2005 |
| Cherry Ames. ISBN: 0826104398 OCLC: 857504173 Collects four volumes of the "Cherry Ames nurse stories series," in which Cherry Ames solves mysteries while traveling in England, setting up a clinic in Kenya, and practicing in New York City and at a Swiss ski clinic. |
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| Doctor Betty. ISBN: 0671321870 OCLC: 24561 Messner New York, [1969] Betty's desire to be a wife is second only to her desire to be a doctor, a situation causing her many agonizing decisions before she learns it is possible to blend marriage and medicine. |