Emilie Blackmore Stapp (1876–1962) was an American children's author and philanthropist whose writing career spanned over 50 years. She was born in Madison, Indiana on July 4, 1876 and died June 29, 1962, in Wiggins, Mississippi where she is buried. Her first book Bread and 'Lasses: Sketches of Child Life was published in 1902.
Life
Emilie Stapp's father, David Wilbur Stapp, and her mother, Carrie Blackmore, moved their family which included their oldest daughter Florence, sons Hal and Fred and youngest daughters Emilie and Marie to Des Moines, Iowa in 1883. Following the sudden death of her mother at the age of 50, in 1893, and upon her graduation from high school, Emilie went to work as an associate editor with a weekly newspaper in Des Moines. Soon she found herself hired as editor of the literary page of the Des Moines Capital, the sister newspaper of The Des Moines Register, which served as the daily evening newspaper for the Des Moines area.
In 1902, her first book, Bread and 'Lasses: Sketches of Child Life was published. This was followed by The Trail of the Go-Hawks in 1908; Uncle Peter-Heathen in 1912; The Squaw Lady in 1913 and Little Billy Bowlegs in 1916.
The Go-Hawks Happy Tribe
In 1913, Stapp founded the Go-Hawks Happy Tribe, a national philanthropic organization which welcomed both boys and girls. The organization similar to today's Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, had a membership of over 80,000 children and adults. Membership was open to anyone regardless of race or ethnic background who performed at least one act of kindness per day. "To Make The World A Better Place" was the organization's motto. Two prominent adult members of the "Go-Hawks Tribe" were James Whitcomb Riley, Big Chief of the United States, and Rudyard Kipling, Big Chief of England.
In her 1914 letter, Stapp asked Riley to be the head of the Go-Hawks Happy Tribe saying; "It seems to be the desire of the children of Indiana that you should be designated Chief of their happy tribe. The Go-Hawks Happy Tribe is composed of good little Indians from 7 to 77 who are discovering that the only real happiness in life lies in service. All over the country children are showing fealty to the tribe by donning the button emblem of service. So here's your button which makes you a member for life. If you are caught without it some young Indian brave or squaw may rise up and scalp you." Riley replied back, "I am happy to be the chief of both the little children and those with the spirit of little children, even though 'the golden hair be gray.'" Stapp wrote back, asserting, "I am so glad you have not grown up. Neither have I. You must never tell my employer, nor any of those many publishers who overwhelm me with books for criticism, but I still believe in fairies."
World War I
In June 1917 with World War I raging in Europe, Stapp mobilized her Go-Hawks Happy Tribe to raise 4,300,892 pennies or $43,008.92 to feed the widows and orphans of Europe. For her extraordinarily compassionate efforts to care of the orphans created by World War I, Emilie Blackmore Stapp was decorated by both the governments of France and Belgium for distinguished service. King Albert I of Belgium presented her with the honor of the Queen Elizabeth Medal for her distinguished, unselfish and loyal service to the people of Belgium. In addition, the government and people of France bestowed upon Stapp, the honor of the French Medal for Distinguished Service for her efforts to feed the orphans and widows of France.
After WWI
In May 1921, Stapp left the Des Moines Capital for a new position as Children's Editor with the Houghton Mifflin Company in Boston. In Boston, Stapp continued her philanthropic work by forming The World Neighbor Club in 1923, in cooperation with the American Red Cross. The purpose of The World Neighbor Club was to establish relationships with and befriend children of different countries and to create libraries throughout the world where children could learn the English language. In a thank-you letter, a student from The Albanian Vocational School writes to Stapp, "We thank you very much for the kindness you have done the Albanian children, and we thank you also very much for the books you send to us. We will never forget our best friends of America, and we will try to repay these good deeds you are doing."