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Kids Corner: The Case of the Adventurous Author
Readers Bid a Fond Farewell to Nancy Drew’s Creator
She was known as Millie Benson to thousands of newspaper readers and to her colleagues in The Newspaper Guild-CWA. But millions more mystery lovers knew her by her pen name, Carolyn Keene, the creator of Nancy Drew.
For 50 years, almost no one knew that Millie wrote the first 23 books featuring the spunky, fearless teen-age detective — a girl who was a lot like Millie. Her secret was finally revealed during a lawsuit between publishers in 1980. In the years that followed, Millie did many interviews and enjoyed talking to fans and autographing copies of the books she’d written.
Millie was 96 when she died May 28. She was believed to be the oldest active member of the Guild, having joined what is now TNG-CWA Local 34043 in 1944. She began her career as a writer in 1919, followed by decades as a newspaper reporter and columnist. She officially retired from The Blade in Toledo, Ohio, last year, but loved her work so much that she continued to write a monthly column.
She came to The Blade offices once a week, including the day she died, to work on the column. She wrote about people’s unusual adventures and hobbies, reflected on modern times and told stories from her own legendary life.
In her local community, Millie was well known for her tireless work ethic. She never let storms, cancer, broken bones or failing eyesight keep her from her job. But around the world, she will always be remembered as the woman who gave life to Nancy Drew and her friends Bess, George (short for Georgina) and Ned.
In addition to writing the early Nancy Drew mysteries, Millie authored more than 130 books for young people. She wrote some of them under her own name and some under names she made up.
Millie wrote the first Nancy Drew book, “The Secret of the Old Clock,” in 1930. She was paid just $125 for each volume. Her publisher made her sign away all rights to the character of Nancy Drew and the pen name Carolyn Keene. That means that Millie never got another dime for the Nancy Drew series, even though the books have sold more than 100 million copies, have been translated into 17 languages and inspired a TV show.
But writing books was only part of Millie’s full life. She learned to fly small planes when she was 59 years old. Earlier she paid bush pilots to fly her to archaeological sites in Central America so she could study Mayan civilization. Once, she took a river trip in a canoe into the jungles of southern Mexico and Guatemala.
Millie was also a champion diver and the first woman to earn a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa. She wrote and sold short stories to help pay her way through college. During World War II, she was hired by the Toledo Times to replace a man entering the military. Her boss warned her she’d be the first fired when the war ended.
But Millie was too valuable to let go. She often scooped reporters at The Blade on stories about city hall, county government and the courts. She was so persistent that two county commissioners once climbed through a courthouse window to avoid her questions.
When the Times went out of business in 1975, Millie went to work for The Blade. She was given the newspaper’s first — and so far only — lifetime achievement award. Yet in earlier years, Blade managers wanted her to retire. She refused. “Talk to my lawyer,” she told them. By 1990, the newspaper had launched her column. She also wrote feature stories and covered aviation.
Reflecting on Millie’s extraordinary life, an editorial in The Blade said, “Her legacy is not just the rich collection of literature she leaves behind. She must be remembered as well for a life well lived. It can truthfully be said that she lived until she died, always looking ahead, never back. She once said she never even re-read her books after finishing them because that meant dwelling in the past.”
She was known as Millie Benson to thousands of newspaper readers and to her colleagues in The Newspaper Guild-CWA. But millions more mystery lovers knew her by her pen name, Carolyn Keene, the creator of Nancy Drew.
For 50 years, almost no one knew that Millie wrote the first 23 books featuring the spunky, fearless teen-age detective — a girl who was a lot like Millie. Her secret was finally revealed during a lawsuit between publishers in 1980. In the years that followed, Millie did many interviews and enjoyed talking to fans and autographing copies of the books she’d written.
Millie was 96 when she died May 28. She was believed to be the oldest active member of the Guild, having joined what is now TNG-CWA Local 34043 in 1944. She began her career as a writer in 1919, followed by decades as a newspaper reporter and columnist. She officially retired from The Blade in Toledo, Ohio, last year, but loved her work so much that she continued to write a monthly column.
She came to The Blade offices once a week, including the day she died, to work on the column. She wrote about people’s unusual adventures and hobbies, reflected on modern times and told stories from her own legendary life.
In her local community, Millie was well known for her tireless work ethic. She never let storms, cancer, broken bones or failing eyesight keep her from her job. But around the world, she will always be remembered as the woman who gave life to Nancy Drew and her friends Bess, George (short for Georgina) and Ned.
In addition to writing the early Nancy Drew mysteries, Millie authored more than 130 books for young people. She wrote some of them under her own name and some under names she made up.
Millie wrote the first Nancy Drew book, “The Secret of the Old Clock,” in 1930. She was paid just $125 for each volume. Her publisher made her sign away all rights to the character of Nancy Drew and the pen name Carolyn Keene. That means that Millie never got another dime for the Nancy Drew series, even though the books have sold more than 100 million copies, have been translated into 17 languages and inspired a TV show.
But writing books was only part of Millie’s full life. She learned to fly small planes when she was 59 years old. Earlier she paid bush pilots to fly her to archaeological sites in Central America so she could study Mayan civilization. Once, she took a river trip in a canoe into the jungles of southern Mexico and Guatemala.
Millie was also a champion diver and the first woman to earn a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa. She wrote and sold short stories to help pay her way through college. During World War II, she was hired by the Toledo Times to replace a man entering the military. Her boss warned her she’d be the first fired when the war ended.
But Millie was too valuable to let go. She often scooped reporters at The Blade on stories about city hall, county government and the courts. She was so persistent that two county commissioners once climbed through a courthouse window to avoid her questions.
When the Times went out of business in 1975, Millie went to work for The Blade. She was given the newspaper’s first — and so far only — lifetime achievement award. Yet in earlier years, Blade managers wanted her to retire. She refused. “Talk to my lawyer,” she told them. By 1990, the newspaper had launched her column. She also wrote feature stories and covered aviation.
Reflecting on Millie’s extraordinary life, an editorial in The Blade said, “Her legacy is not just the rich collection of literature she leaves behind. She must be remembered as well for a life well lived. It can truthfully be said that she lived until she died, always looking ahead, never back. She once said she never even re-read her books after finishing them because that meant dwelling in the past.”