Paradigm, Vol. 2, No. 4 (December, 2001)

Mitzi Myers, 62; literary scholar and member of the Colloquium

Mitzi Myers was born in Sulpher Springs, Texas. She died at her home in Anaheim Hills, California on 5 November as a result of complications following pneumonia. Mitzi had recently suffered second and third degree burns as a result of a fire in August 2000 which destroyed her house and most of her 35,000 books. She wrote over 75 scholarly articles and book reviews largely concerned with children's literature. She presented scores of papers at conferences, edited several anthologies of children's literature, and contributed articles to the Encyclopaedia Americana and the Cambridge Companion to Children's Literature. At UCLA she taught children's literature, young adult literature, and writing skills for undergraduates. She also taught at a number of other west-coast educational institutions.

Myers was a tireless champion of UCLA's renowned Children's Book Collection. Her passion for children's literature grew from her interest in early feminist writers. She wrote on Mary Wollenstonecraft, Maria Edgeworth and Hannah More. When the fire destroyed her house she was working on a book about Edgeworth and was editing annotated versions of two Edgeworth novels. Her family and friends record how much she enjoyed her work and her collection. She was a keen supporter of the Colloquium and we shall miss her very much.

John Issitt