Sewickley Herald

              The Herald
The Sewickley Valley's Home-News Weekly
i
Vol. XXV. No. 41.
■ SEWICKLEY, PA.. FRIDAY. JUNE 22. 1928
Price 5 Cents.
Oo   jpubtist). Movds
Sewickley Tfagh School (Graduate Wins Tuterar? 3\tcogiiitioii
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Russell Neale, S. H. S. '24
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At the Sewiokley High Sehool commencement exercises, which take place
tonight in the new auditorium, there
will be pride and satisfaction among
faculty and students at the literary
success of ono of tho school's graduates, Bussell Neale of th. class of
192-t, whose first novel has just been
accepted for publication by Harpers
of New York, with a second one and
probably a third to follow ife For a
young man of but 22 years, this seems
indeed the opening of a promising career.
Mr. Nealo is not disposed to toll-
much about himself, as hi_ classmates
and friends know; but at a 'meeting of
the Sowickley "Writers' Olub last "Friday evening, held at the Maple lane
liome of Mr. and Mrs. D. ,T. McConnell,
ito was induced to toll his follow-mem-
bors a little about his books and of
how they were offered arid accepted for
publication.
His reserved manner slipped from this
dark eyed, handsome youth as he enthusiastically discussed tho novel which
brought him success. "Shanty Boat"
is the name of it, a story of the son of
wealthy parents, and a poor girl whose
family live in a shanty boat tied.up
along the river ibank near such a town
as Glenfield. Tho love interest, however, is merely incidental, for tho book
was accepted on the strength of its
remarkaJble portrayal of the characters,
the simple, direct style and the vivid
clearness of the scones, the publishers
said.
"I have read your now book with tho
greatest interest. I think you have
dono a remarkably interesting arid unusual job and we should bo very glad
to publish tho book for you,'' was
tho comment on tho book made in tho
letter of acceptance by tho editor of
Harper Brothers.
Eussell Neale was born in Dubois, Pa.,
July 23, 1906, a Son of Glenn B. Neale
and Mary Edna "Risinger Neale. His
parents moved to Bast Beaver street,
Glenfield, when ho was but seven and he
received his education as far as the
sixth grade in the Glenfield Public
Scliool. Transferring to the Sewickley schools, he mado a splendid record
in both the public and the high scliool,
graduating from high school with second
honors. During his high sehool days,
ho began to writo and completed his
first novel whon he was ouly sixteen
years old. Although it was not a finished piece of work, there wore flashes
of rare genius which led Miss Hubbell,
his English teacher, and others who read
the novel to the conclusion that tho
youth showed a great deal of promise.
After graduation, "Russell took a motor trip to Yellowstone Park, Salt Lake
Oity antl Donver, working for a half
day as an olovator operator at the
Argonaut   Hotel,   Denver.     Returning
home, he took a position as a messenger
boy at Joseph Home's department store
where he stayed until January, 1925,
when he went to Havana, Cuba, to visit relatives. In the summer, he again
returned to Glenfield, working as a day
laborer at the Consolidated Paper Company's plant and at tho Sterling Var>
nish  Company's factory  at  Haysville.
In the fall of 1925, he planned to
enter the drama school Of tlio Carnegie
Institute of Technology, but, iii his
own words, "due to too much competition and lack of ability, 1 was disappointed. '' So he went back and worked as a laborer at the Sterling Varnish
Company until the summer of 1926
when he worked on a farm in Beaver
county.
Hero his habit of keen observation
provided him with enough material so
that during tho winter, while studying
(continued on page four)
Vote for the County Bonds Tuesday!
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