Dolan, Edward F., 1924-....

Author and journalist Edward F. Dolan (1924-2010) contributed significantly to the body of children's and young adult nonfiction during a writing career that spanned more than half a century. His over 120 works earned him accolades from organizations such as the American Library Association and several children's book associations. With subjects ranging from sports and history to biographies and how-to manuals, Dolan kept himself to a full schedule researching and writing, publishing one or more books during most years of his career. A determined writer from the age of sixteen, Dolan lost his first manuscript in the fire that claimed the San Rafael city blocks containing his mother's fabric store, yet persevered in reconstructing his work on Louis Pasteur. He reportedly found nothing in the ashes save for a holy card of Saint Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, and for the entirety of his adult life made large donations to the Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital.