The Life of Mildred Wirt Benson: The Real Carolyn Keene

Biography Who is the real Carolyn Keene? The author of the Nancy Drew series and many more wrote under a pen name. Carolyn Keene does not exist. The person behind all the stories was Mildred Wirt Benson. Her life was an inspiring journey and she even made it to the Ohio Woman’s Hall of Fame. Mrs. Benson did not stop writing until she was 96. Mildred Benson's early childhood was much like every other child’s. She was born on March 28, 1905 and grew up in Iowa with her parents. She lived in Ladora, Iowa for most of her life.

As a child, Mildred Benson was a tomboy and enjoyed exploring the rural area behind her family’s farm. In addition, Mrs. Benson was well-educated and very intelligent. In elementary school, she showed signs of being adventurous and independent. Even at a young age she published her first piece of writing. At age 14, her story appeared in a fiction magazine “St. Nicholas. ” When she entered high school, Mildred was bright and was able to graduate early. She went straight to college and she graduated with a degree in English and a master’s in Journalism at the University of Iowa.

Writing was a big part of Mildred’s life, and she wrote for Stratmeyer during college. Author and reporter, Mildred Benson married Asa A. Wirt, but once Asa Wirt passed away, she married a man named George Benson. In 1936, Mildred gave birth to her daughter Peggy. Mildred wrote books, and also was a reporter who never backed down. However, her life was not always necessarily perfect and she faced hardships in her life. Mildred Benson was able to keep her identity well hidden, but was forced to reveal who Carolyn Keene was in court when someone tried to take credit for the writing.

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She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1997, but nothing could stop her from writing, even cancer and failing eyesight. When she was not writing, she spent her time as a pilot, amateur archeologist, and adventurer. Eventually, the cancer took over and Benson passed away at 96. Although Mildred Benson is not alive today, she still stands as an inspiration and role model to many. She wrote over 100 books in her lifetime. Mildred was also the first woman to graduate the University of Iowa with a degree. As Mildred Benson (a. k. a. Carolyn Keene) said about writing, “I know I’ll miss it more than anything else in my life. ”

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