Margaret Cousins | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sue Margaret Cousins (1905-01-26)January 26, 1905 Munday, Texas, United States of America |
| Died | July 30, 1996(1996-07-30) (aged 91) San Antonio, Texas, United States of America |
| Occupation | Editor, journalist, and writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Notable works | The Life of Lucy Gallant |
| Notable awards | D.A. Frank Poetry Prize J.C. Penney-University of Missouri Award for Excellence in Magazine Writing Friends of the San Antonio Public Library Arts and Letters Award Women-in-Communications Headliner Award for Lifetime Achievement George Washington Medal of the Freedom Foundation of Valley Forge |
Sue Margaret Cousins (January 26, 1905 – July 30, 1996) was an American editor, journalist, and writer. Cousins was a member of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, theAuthors Guild, theTexas Institute of Letters, the Philosophical Society of Texas, theSan Antonio Conservation Society, and a trustee of the Wildflower Foundation.[1]
Some of her works were published under the pseudonymsWilliam Masters,Mary Parrish, andAvery Johns.
Sue Margaret Cousins was born inMunday, Texas, on January 26, 1905, to parents Walter Henry and Sue Margaret Reeves Cousins. Her father was a pharmacist who published theDallas-basedSouthern Pharmaceutical Journal.[2] She has a brother named Walter Henry Cousins Jr, a niece named Cynthia Cousins Lodge, and a nephew named Walter Henry Cousins III.[3]
Cousins develop an interest in literature at an early age. She made her first publication (apoem) at the age of 16.[4]
Cousins grew up in Texas and graduated from the now defunctDallas High School (Texas) (formerly named Bryant Street High School) in 1922.[1] She went on to pursue aBachelor of Arts inEnglish Literature from theCollege of Liberal Arts at theUniversity of Texas at Austin.[1] Cousins joined theAlpha Chi Omega fraternity during her time in college. She graduated with her B.A. degree in 1926, winning the D.A. Frank Poetry Prize in the process.[4]
Cousins began her literary career as an apprentice with her father's pharmaceutical journal after graduation from college. She remained with the organization until 1937, being promoted to associate editor and editor in 1930 and 1935, respectively.[1]
Cousins moved toNew York City in 1937 to pursue opportunities with thePictorial Review. The magazine ceased publication in 1939, and Cousins went on to work a copy editor role withHearst Magazines, Inc.[1] While at Hearst, Cousins served as the managing editor of the magazine publicationsGood Housekeeping andMcCall's. In 1961, she became a senior editor atDoubleday, and in 1970 she was briefly a special editor atHolt, Rinehart & Winston. She later worked as fiction and book editor forLadies' Home Journal.[2]
Cousins wrote more than 200 short stories, including "The Life of Lucy Gallant", which was adapted into aParamount Picturesfilm in 1955.[1]
Some of her other notable works include:[1]
Uncle Edgar and the Reluctant Saint (1948)
Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia (1952)
We Were There at the Battle of the Alamo (1958)
Thomas Alva Edison (1965)
A Christmas Gift (1952)
Traffic with Evil (1957)
The Boy in the Alamo (1983)
In addition, Cousins also edited the anthologyLove and Marriage (1961) and the memoirs of PresidentLyndon B. Johnson and First LadyLady Bird Johnson.[1]
Cousins also served as a ghost writer forMargaret Truman'sSouvenir (1956).[1]
Cousins retired in 1973 and moved toSan Antonio.[5][6] In 1986, she was inducted into theTexas Women's Hall of Fame.[7]
She died in San Antonio on July 30, 1996.[2]
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