Catherine Cate Coblentz
Encyclopedia
Catherine Cate Coblentz was an American writer, best known for her children's books in the 1930s and 1940s.
, Vermont
, Catherine Cate worked during World War I
at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C., where she met her future husband, William Coblentz
, an American scientist who was a pioneer in the field of infrared spectroscopy. They were married on June 10, 1924. Two daughters were born to the couple, but both died young.
Mrs. Coblentz published a poem on Mars in Popular Astronomy magazine in 1924, the same year that her husband was measuring the temperature of Mars at the Lowell Observatory
. Mrs. Coblentz later achieved success as a writer of children's books, and her The Blue Cat of Castle Town won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
in 1958 and was a Newbery Honor book. Older copies of this work and some of her other books can still be found, and some are considered to be collector's items.
In 1930 Catherine Cate Coblentz received a B.A. degree from George Washington University.
In honor of her later work, she was presented with a Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award by her alma mater in 1945.
In the mid-to-late 1940s, Mrs. Coblentz was instrumental in raising money to buy the land on which the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library was built on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C. A set of windows, with illustrations based on her books, remain on display in the library.
Catherine Cate Coblentz, her husband, and an infant daughter are buried in Rock Creek Cemetery
in Washington, D.C. (Section O).
- Autobiography of William Coblentz
Life and work
Originally from HardwickHardwick, Vermont
Hardwick is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,174 at the 2000 census.It contains the incorporated village of Hardwick and the unincorporated villages of East Hardwick and Mackville...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, Catherine Cate worked during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C., where she met her future husband, William Coblentz
William Coblentz
William Weber Coblentz was an American physicist notable for his contributions to infrared radiometry and spectroscopy.-Early life, education, and employment:...
, an American scientist who was a pioneer in the field of infrared spectroscopy. They were married on June 10, 1924. Two daughters were born to the couple, but both died young.
Mrs. Coblentz published a poem on Mars in Popular Astronomy magazine in 1924, the same year that her husband was measuring the temperature of Mars at the Lowell Observatory
Lowell Observatory
Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965....
. Mrs. Coblentz later achieved success as a writer of children's books, and her The Blue Cat of Castle Town won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was started in 1958 by Dr. David C. Davis with the assistance of Prof. Lola Pierstorff, Director Instructional Materials Center, Univ. of Wisconsin and Madeline Allen Davis, WHA Wisconsin Public Radio. Awards were presented annually at the Wisconsin Book Conference...
in 1958 and was a Newbery Honor book. Older copies of this work and some of her other books can still be found, and some are considered to be collector's items.
In 1930 Catherine Cate Coblentz received a B.A. degree from George Washington University.
In honor of her later work, she was presented with a Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award by her alma mater in 1945.
In the mid-to-late 1940s, Mrs. Coblentz was instrumental in raising money to buy the land on which the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library was built on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C. A set of windows, with illustrations based on her books, remain on display in the library.
Catherine Cate Coblentz, her husband, and an infant daughter are buried in Rock Creek Cemetery
Rock Creek Cemetery
Rock Creek Cemetery — also Rock Creek Church Yard and Cemetery — is an cemetery with a natural rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE in Washington, D.C.'s Michigan Park neighborhood, near Washington's Petworth neighborhood...
in Washington, D.C. (Section O).
Books
The dates of publication are approximate.- Animal Pioneers (1936)
- The Blue and Silver Necklace (1937)
- The Pan American Highway (1942)
- The Falcon of Eric the Red ( 1942)
- The Bells of Leyden (1944)
- The Amazon (1944)
- Sequoya (1946)
- Scatter, the Chipmunk (1946)
- Martin and Abraham Lincoln (1947)
- The Blue Cat of Castle Town (1949)
- Ah-yo-ka: Daughter of Sequoya (1950)
- The Beggars' Penny (1954)
Further reading