Ethelyn M. Parkinson, pen name Rosemary James, was for years a freelance writer of both children's and adult fiction. Born September 13, 1906, in Cream City, Wisconsin, Miss Parkinson was a long-time resident of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Having received a teaching certificate from Oconto County Normal School in 1923, she went on to graduate as a registered nurse from Bellin Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, Green Bay, in 1928. Her experience as a teacher, nurse, Sunday school teacher, choir and dramatics director, and youth counselor enhanced her ability to understand young minds and write the types of stories boys and girls wanted to read.
From the early 1950s, Miss Parkinson contributed her children's fiction and comic strips to such juvenile trade journals as The American Girl, Catholic Miss, Juniors, Teens, Trailblazer, Upward, and Venture. Her adult fiction appeared in publications such as The Link. She also taught short story workshops for Green Lake Extension School, Green Lake, Wisconsin. Miss Parkinson received numerous awards for her writing, including first place in playwriting from the Wisconsin Dramatic Society, 1933, for her play, Shepherd's Queen; first place for children's short fiction from Scholastic Book Services, 1957, for “A Man or a Mouse”; Abingdon Press Award, 1970, for Never Go Anywhere with Digby; and the Wisconsin Historical Society Award of Merit, 1971, for Higgins of the Railroad Museum; and was listed in the Junior Literary Guild Selection in 1979 for Rupert Piper and the Boy Who Could Knit. Miss Parkinson retired from writing in 1983. She lived for several years in a Green Bay nursing home where she passed away on January 8, 1999 at the age of 92.
A bibliography of Miss Parkinson's writings is an appendix to this finding aid.
