Worden, William L

William L. Worden (1910-1982) was born in Koshkonong, Missouri. His family moved to Fort Scott, Kansas, where Worden attended public schools. After graduating from Drake University in 1930, he joined the staff of the Omaha Bee-News as a reporter. After a brief stint in Omaha, Worden worked for various papers eventually landing at the Knoxville Tennessee Journal, where he served on the copy-desk, as Sunday editor, and as writer of a column, "Gay Talk", clippings of which are included in the collection.

Worden settled in the Pacific Northwest in 1933, working in newspapers and advertising in Portland, Oregon. From 1934 to 1944, he was an Associated Press correspondent in their San Francisco, Tacoma, Olympia, and Seattle offices. Worden also served as a war correspondent in Alaska and the Pacific. He covered the Pacific front for the Saturday Evening Post from 1944 to the conclusion of the war.

After World War II, Worden became a free lance writer, living in Tacoma and specializing in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Western Canada. He wrote both journalism and fiction about these regions.

At the outbreak of the Korean conflict, Worden again signed on with the Saturday Evening Post as a contract writer in Korea and Japan for two years. In 1952, he returned to free-lancing as a regular contributor to the Post and other major magazines. Writings from this period show a fascination with "motor-yachting" in the Puget Sound-Western Canada-Inland Passage area. In 1959, Worden joined Boeing in Seattle, serving variously as Boeing Magazine 's supervisor, financial writer, and International Public Relations manager. Copies of two Boeing Magazine articles are included in the collection.

Worden died in Washington in 1982.

From the guide to the William Worden papers, 1910-1982, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)