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Elizabeth Janet Gray Vining

エリザベス・ジャネット・グレイ・ヴァイニング

Elizabeth Janet Gray Vining

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1902-10-06 （Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States）
Died
1999-11-27 （Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States） age 97
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Quaker
Residence History
Philadelphia (birth) → North Carolina (university employment) → Tokyo, Japan (private tutor to Imperial Household 1946–1950) → Kennett Square (later life)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Librarian, Private tutor, Educator
Active Years
1923-1982
Affiliations
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (librarian), Gakushūin (lecturer, Imperial Household-related), Tsuda College (lectures), Bryn Mawr College (vice-president of Board of Trustees)
Memberships
Bryn Mawr College Board of Trustees
Influenced
Emperor Akihito (then Crown Prince), Prince Masahito, Prince Hitachi, Kazuko Takatsukasa, Atsuko Ikeda, Takako Shimazu

Education

Germantown Friends School
Country: United States
Bryn Mawr College
Degree: AB
Period: 1920s
Year of Graduation: 1923
Country: United States
AB degree. Some sources note citation needed for details.
Drexel University
Library Science
Degree: MS
Period: 1926
Year of Graduation: 1926
Country: United States
Earned MS in Library Science.
Wilmington College (honorary)
Degree: 名誉文学博士
Period: 1962
Year of Graduation: 1962
Country: United States
Received honorary Doctorate of Literature.

Awards

Newbery Medal
1943
Work: Adam of the Road
Organization: American Library Association
Result: 受賞
Order of the Sacred Treasure (3rd class)
1950
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Order of the Precious Crown
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Women's National Book Association Skinner Award
1954
Organization: Women's National Book Association (U.S.)
Result: 受賞
Honorary Doctorate of Literature (Wilmington College)
1962
Organization: Wilmington College
Result: 授与

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Adam of the Road

1942 Children's literature

A children's novel set in medieval England following the adventures and travels of a boy named Adam; themes of friendship and coming-of-age.

travelfriendshipcoming of age

Windows for the Crown Prince

1952 Memoir / Non-fiction

A memoir describing her experiences tutoring the Crown Prince Akihito in England and introducing Western values and culture to the Imperial Household.

cross-cultural exchangeeducationmemoir

Sandy

1945 Children's literature

A children's novel characterized by a warm narrative voice; specific plot details vary by book.

friendshipfamilyeveryday adventure

Bibliography

  • Meredith's Ann (1927)
  • Tangle Garden (1928)
  • Tilly-Tod (1929)
  • Meggy MacIntosh (1930)
  • Jane Hope (1933)
  • Young Walter Scott (1935)
  • Beppy Marlowe (1936)
  • Penn (1938)
  • Contributions of the Quakers (1939)
  • The Fair Adventure (1940)
  • Adam of the Road (1942)
  • Sandy (1945)
  • Windows for the Crown Prince (1952)
  • The World in Tune (1952)
  • The Virginia Exiles (1955)
  • Friend of Life: A Biography of Rufus M. Jones (1958)
  • The Cheerful Heart (1959)
  • Return to Japan (1960)
  • I Will Adventure (1962)
  • Take Heed of Loving Me (1963)
  • Flora: A Biography (1966)
  • I, Roberta (1967)
  • Quiet Pilgrimage (1970)
  • The Taken Girl (1972)
  • Being Seventy: The Measure of a Year (1978)
  • Harnessing Pegasus: Inspiration and Meditation (1978)
  • Mr. Whittier (1974)
  • A Quest There Is (1982)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Clear, concise narrative voice suitable for children and adultsStrength in historical and biographical depictionReflective, observational tone in memoirs
Recurring Motifs
travel and adventurefriendship and loyaltyQuaker values (peace, conscience)cross-cultural exchange

Health

  • Severe injuries from automobile accident (1933)
    1933
    Converted to Quakerism during convalescence; influenced her personal life and later work.

Legacy

Elizabeth Gray Vining was an award-winning children's author (Newbery Medal 1943) and tutor to Crown Prince Akihito (1946–1950). She contributed to U.S.–Japan cultural exchange and left a large body of work including biographies and memoirs.

Academic Societies

  • Women's National Book Association (associated)

Archives

  • Elizabeth Gray Vining Collection, Bryn Mawr College
  • Library of Congress catalog records

Quotes

  • "His interests in those days were almost entirely confined to fish, and I felt they needed broadening."
    Source: Windows for the Crown Prince (1952) (1952)

Trivia

  • She nicknamed Crown Prince Akihito "Jimmy."
  • Her selection as tutor to the Crown Prince was made by Emperor Hirohito, not by the U.S. government.
  • She was seriously injured in a 1933 automobile accident and converted to Quakerism during recovery.
  • Won the Newbery Medal in 1943 for Adam of the Road.