Grace Beacham Freeman

Grace Beacham Freeman (February 18, 1916 – October 28, 2002) was an American poet, columnist, short story writer and educator. She wrote a syndicated column "At Our House" from 1954 to 1964 and was named by Governor Richard Wilson Riley as the fourth South Carolina Poet Laureate from 1985 to 1986.

Biography

Early life and education Freeman was born on February 18, 1916, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Her parents were Henry O. Beacham and the former Grace Bailey. She received a Bachelor's degree in English from Converse College in 1937. There, she triple-majored in drama, English, and Latin.

Career Freeman's poetry career started early when she had a poem published in a school literary journal named The Scribbler. While in college, she edited the student magazine. During the late 1940s, she taught creative dramatics for children in North Carolina and New Orleans as well as hosted a radio program in Durham, North Carolina called Presenting Grace Freeman. She wrote many plays and dramas for radio and television along with feature articles for various newspapers and magazines including The Times-Picayune Magazine, The Charlotte Observer, and The State. Originally a life-time appointment, Riley changed the position some during his governorship and appointed Freeman to only a one-year term of office.

Personal life Her husband, John Alderman Freeman, was a biology and zoology professor who taught many years at Winthrop University. He previously had taught at Wake Forest University, his alma mater. John Freeman was also an author and ran a small independent publishing firm in Rock Hill. They were married on June 11, 1941 and moved to Rock Hill in 1952.

Works She received much encouragement and instruction from South Carolina's first poet laureate, Archibald Rutledge. He lived for some time in Spartanburg as well and they became friends. Soon, he became her mentor. He encouraged her to submit some of her poetry to The Saturday Evening Post which was accepted and published. Later, after taking a workshop with poet and professor James Dickey, Freeman started to develop a more contemporary style of poetry. and other magazines.

Much of her early letters, manuscripts and other materials (up to 1977) were donated by Freeman to Winthrop University's Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections.

Books Children Are Poetry (1951)

Some work also has appeared in the anthology Talking Out the Fire by Lawrence Don Joiner (John's Press, 1983 ).