Young Adult (YA) Author

   Born February 17, 1928 He refused to state his place of birth though It is speculated that his birth place is either Nashville, Tennessee, Ticondergoa, New York (his mother’s birth place), or Cornwall, Vermont (his father’s birth place)

 "If I possess any wisdom at all, most of it was given me by a mother, father, an aunt, and a grandmother . . . none of whom could read or write.” - Peck

   Like his birth place, Peck says that he graduated from a high school in Texas, but refused to name the location After high school, Peck served in WWII as a machine-gunner After being discharged, he graduated from Rollins College, and then enrolled in Law School, but never completed his studies

    Father and mother were both illiterate. Parents owned a family farm, and taught Peck how to work on a farm.

Married Dorothy Anne Houston and had two children: Anne and Christopher His best friend was Fred Rogers, famed for being Mr. Rogers on a children’s television show Before writing, he worked as a lumberjack, paper mill worker, hog killer, and advertising executive

    Wrote his first book, A Day No Pigs Would Die, at the age of 44 A Day No Pigs Would Die reflects Peck’s view on farm life, which can be harsh, and some view the novel as a semi-memoir from Peck’s childhood Many of his books have a theme of coming of age or growing up (little boy  man) Has written 55 novels, six non-fiction books, thirty-five songs, three television specials, and 100+ poems.

   At the age of 56 (1984), he was a keynote speaker at Erskine College for a convocation Mary Jo Wardlaw sued him for “outrageous conduct causing severe emotional distress and slander” Jury awarded Wardlaw $24,000 and found Peck guilty

   Peck believed that three things were important, which are all seen as themes in his novels • • Education Work ethic • Family Peck was diagnosed with oral cancer in 1995 Peck died in 2010 at his Longwood, Florida home