W. E. B. Griffin

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Template:Infobox writer William Edmund Butterworth III (November 10, 1929 – February 12, 2019),<ref name="auto">Template:Cite magazine</ref> better known by his pen name W. E. B. Griffin, was an American writer of military and detective fiction with 59 novels in seven series published under that name. Twenty-one of those books were co-written with his son, William E Butterworth IV. He also published under 11 other pseudonyms and three versions of his real name (W. E. Butterworth, William E. Butterworth, and William E. Butterworth III).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Early life

Griffin grew up in New York City and Philadelphia. He joined the United States Army in 1946. His military occupation was counterintelligence and in this capacity he served in the Constabulary in Germany, thus earning the Army of Occupation Medal. One of Griffin's duties was delivering food to German general officers and their families, including the widow of would-be Hitler assassin Claus von Stauffenberg. His exposure to German military and civilian aristocracy supplied much of the inspiration for such Griffin creations as Oberst Graf von Greiffenberg, who appears in several of the Brotherhood of War novels.

After completing his active duty military service, Griffin attended Philipps-Universität Marburg at Marburg-an-der-Lahn. His college days were cut short in 1951 when he was recalled to serve in the Korean War.<ref name="auto"/>

In Korea he first served as an official Army war correspondent with the 223rd Infantry Regiment, then as public information officer for U.S. X Corps, which included the 1st Marine Division.<ref>Blankenship, Janie. "Vets of WWI Through Vietnam Became Famous in the Literary World", VFW Magazine (April 2015), p. 48.</ref> Griffin received the Combat Infantryman Badge for service at the front lines.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His knowledge of combat and garrison life and his friendships with military personnel from different services would well serve his writing. Many of his books are dedicated to fallen comrades who died in Korea or later on in Vietnam or while serving with the international peacekeeping force dispatched during the Lebanese Civil War. Griffin was modest about his own service. He once told a Barnes & Noble interviewer:

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Writing career

After the end of the Korean War, Griffin continued to work for the military in a civilian capacity as Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama. After his first three novels proved successful, he left this job to pursue writing full-time. To date, he has 160 fiction and nonfiction works to his credit. He was well known and respected in the literary world for his thrillers and crime novels.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

His son William E. Butterworth IV (previously editor of Boys' Life, the magazine of the Boy Scouts of America) co-authored some of his books. Butterworth fils was a long-time editor who moved from assisting in editing his father's work to collaborator. As of July 2015, he has been co-author of sixteen Griffin books in five different novel series. He was the keynote speaker at the 2014 Mystery Writers Key West Fest.<ref>Poster, Mystery Writers Key West Fest, June 2014</ref>

Griffin's knowledge of military jargon and administrative writing style shows when fictional orders and dispatches are incorporated in his novels. Many of his characters must battle red tape and bureaucratic mix-ups, sometimes making humorous end-runs around the system.

Griffin was the co-founder of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs at Norwich University in Vermont, along with his friend, historian and Patton biographer Colonel Carlo D'Este. Griffin was a member of the Colby Circle, having participated in the William E. Colby Writers Symposium at Norwich University.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life

In 1950, Griffin married Emma Macalik, a ballet dancer and the author of As the Waltz Was Ending, a memoir of her life growing up as a dancer in Vienna during World War II. They had a daughter, Patricia, and two sons, John S. II and William E. IV. The marriage ended in divorce in the 1990s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Emma died from lung cancer in 2003.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Griffin later married Maria del Pilar Menendez, whom he had met in Argentina. She died in 2018.<ref name="auto1">Template:Cite news</ref>

Griffin died in February 2019 from colorectal cancer at the age of 89.<ref name="auto1"/>

Bibliography

The following is the list of books written by W.E.B. Griffin:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2

Written as W.E.B. Griffin

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  • Written under pseudonym of James McM. Douglas
    • Hunger For Racing (1967)
    • Racing to Glory (1969)
    • The Twelve-cylinder Screamer (1971)
    • Drag Race Driver (1971)
    • A Long Ride on a Cycle (1972)
  • Written under the pseudonym of Jack Dugan
    • The Deep Kill (1984)
  • Written under pseudonym of Eden Hughes
    • The Wiltons (1980)
    • The Selkerks (1982)
  • Written under pseudonym of Allison Mitchell
    • Wild Harvest (1983)
    • Wild Heritage (1984)
  • Written under pseudonym of Edmund O. Scholefield
    • L'il Wildcat (1965)
    • Tiger Rookie (1966)
    • Bryan's Dog (1967)
    • Maverick on the Mound (1968)
    • Yankee Boy (1970)
  • Written under the pseudonym of Blakely St. James
    • Christina's Passion (1977)
  • Written under pseudonym of Patrick J. Williams
    • Return to Daytona (1962)
    • Flat Out (1965)
    • Fastest Funny Car (1967)
    • Grad Prix Racing (1968)
    • The Green Ghost (1968)
    • Racing Mechanic (1971)
    • Team Racer (1972)
  • Written as W. E. Butterworth, William E. Butterworth, or William E. Butterworth, III
    • Comfort Me With Love (1959)
    • Hot Seat (1959)
    • The Love-Go-Round (1960)
    • Where We Go From Here (1961)
    • The Court-Martial (1962)
    • The Wonders of Astronomy (1964)
    • The Wonders of Rockets and Missiles (1965)
    • Fast Green Car (or Flat Out) (1965)
    • Stock-car Racer (1966)
    • Air Evac (1967)
    • Soldiers on Horseback; The Story of the United States Cavalry (1966)
    • The Image Makers (1967)
    • Helicopter Pilot (1967)
    • Road Racer (1967)
    • Orders to Vietnam (1968)
    • Redline 7100 (1968)
    • Grand Prix Driver (1969)
    • Stop and Search (1969)
    • The Wheel of a Fast Car (1969)
    • Up to the Quarterback (1969)
    • Fast and Smart (1970)
    • Marty and the Micromidgets (1970) (later as Micro-Midget Racer (1973))
    • Susan and Her Classic Convertible (1970)
    • Steve Bellamy (1970)
    • Stars and Planets (1970)
    • Moving West on 122 (1971)
    • Crazy to Race (1971)
    • My Father's Quite a Guy (1971)
    • Flying Army; The Modern Air Arm of the U.S. Army (1971)
    • Return to Racing (1971)
    • Wheels and Pistons; The Story of the Automobile (1971)
    • The High Wind: the Story of NASCAR Racing (1971)
    • The Sex Traveler (1971)
    • Dateline: Talladega (1972)
    • The Narc (1972)
    • Skyjacked (1972)
    • The Race Driver (1972)
    • Flying Army: The Modern Air Arm of the U.S. Army (1973)
    • Hot Wire (1973)
    • Race Car Team (1973)
    • Yankee Driver (1973)
    • Dave White and the Electric Wonder Car (1974)
    • Stop, Thief! (1974)
    • Tires and Other Things: Some Heroes of Automotive Evolution (1975)
    • Careers in the Armed Services (1976)
    • Mighty Minicycles (1976)
    • The Roper Brothers and Their Magnificent Steam Automobile (1976)
    • An Album of Automobile Racing (1977)
    • Black Gold : The Story of Oil (1977)
    • Hifi — From Edison's Phonograph to Quadraphonic Sound (1977)
    • The Air Freight Mystery (1978)
    • Next Stop, Earth (1978)
    • The Tank Driver (1978)
    • The Hotel Mystery (1979)
    • The Wrecker Driver (1979)
    • Under the Influence (1980)
    • Slaughter by Auto (1980)
    • Leroy and the Old Man (1980) Template:ISBN.
    • Flunking Out (1981)
    • A Member of the Family (1982)
    • Moose, the Thing, and Me (1982)
    • The Hunting Trip (2015) Template:ISBN

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References

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