Louisa Rossiter Shotwell (May 1, 1902 – January 16, 1993) was an American writer and college administrator. She was also a national official of the

National Council of Churches The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, usually identified as the National Council of Churches (NCC), is a left-wing progressive activist group and the largest ecumenical body in the United States. NCC is an ecumenical partners ...

Early life

Shotwell was born in Chicago, the daughter of Trumbull Smith Shotwell and Ruth Eleanor Clough Shotwell. She was raised in

Skaneateles, New York Skaneateles ( , ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York (state), New York, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 7,112. The name is from the Iroquois term ...

. She graduated from Skaneateles High School and earned a bachelor's degree from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

in 1924. She completed a master's degree in English at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1928.

Career

Shotwell taught in Skaneateles after college. She was Dean of Women at

Hanover College Hanover College is a private college in Hanover, Indiana, United States, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Founded in 1827 by Reverend John Finley Crowe, it is Indiana's oldest private college. The Hanover athletic teams participat ...

in Indiana, and head of residence at Wilson College in Pennsylvania. She was executive secretary at the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn in the 1940s. In the 1950s, she was president of the National Religious Publicity Council, and associate secretary of the Division of Home Missions for the National Council of Churches. She addressed national and regional meetings of the National Council of Churches in that work, and studied

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

programs in India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Shotwell wrote booklets for church use and books for young readers, often on

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

themes. Books and booklets by Shotwell included ''This is the Indian American'' (1955), ''This is Your Neighbor'' (1956), ''This is the Migrant'' (1958), ''The Harvesters: The Story of The Migrant People'' (1961), ''Roosevelt Grady'' (1963, illustrated by

Peter Burchard Peter Burchard (March 1, 1921 – July 3, 2004) was an author, free-lance designer, and illustrator. He wrote the book '' One Gallant Rush'' (1965), about Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the first African-America ...

), ''Beyond the Sugar Cane Field: UNICEF in Asia'' (1964), ''Adam Bookout'' (1967), ''India'' (1969), ''Thailand'' (1969), and ''Magdalena'' (1971). She also wrote a skit for church use, ''The Fruit of the Vine'' (1954), and a play, ''The Dark Valley'' (1964). Shotwell won the 1964 Nancy Bloch Award for "best children's book on intergroup relations", and the 1964

Lewis Carroll Shelf Award The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was an American literary award conferred on several books by the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education annually from 1958 to 1979. Award-winning books were deemed to "belong on the same shelf" as ''Al ...

, for ''Roosevelt Grady''. Her ''Adam Bookout'' was a finalist for the

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 ...

in 1970.

Personal life

Shotwell died in 1993, aged 90 years. Her papers, including manuscripts of some of her books, are at the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...

's American Heritage Center.

References

External links

* KIHM (July 25, 2010)
"Louisa Shotwell’s Wild Ride"
''Skaneateles''; a blog post about Shotwell {{DEFAULTSORT:Shotwell, Louisa R. 1902 births 1993 deaths People from Skaneateles, New York Wellesley College alumni 20th-century American women writers Wilson College (Pennsylvania) faculty