Yellow Springs, Ohio (March 12, 1936 -February 19, 2002) age 64 yrs

Virginia Esther Hamilton was an African American author. She wrote 41 books, including M. C. Higgins, the Great (1974), for which she won the U.S. National Book Award in category Children’s Books and the Newbery Medal in 1975. Hamilton’s lifetime achievements include the international Hans Christian Andersen Award for writing children’s literature in 1992. She also received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her contributions to American children’s literature in 1995. In 2010, the American Library Association established the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award. This award pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of Hamilton’s exemplary contributions through her literature. It also acknowledges her advocacy for children and youth, especially focusing on African American life, history, and consciousness.