Celestine Sibley (May 23, 1914 – August 15, 1999)[1][2][3] was a famous American newspaper reporter, syndicated columnist, and novelist in Atlanta, Georgia, for nearly sixty years.
Celestine Sibley | |
|---|---|
 Sibley c. 1955 | |
| Born | May 23, 1914 Holley, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | August 15, 1999 (aged 85) |
| Occupation | Writer |
Biography
editSibley was born in Holley, Florida. She graduated from high school in Mobile, Alabama, and began her journalistic career writing for the Mobile Press-Register and the Pensacola News Journal.[1][2]
Sibley gained fame as an award-winning reporter, editor, and beloved columnist for the Atlanta Constitution from 1941 to 1999. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, "Sibley was one of the most popular and long-running columnists for the Constitution, and her well-written and poignant essays on Southern culture made her an icon in the South."[1][2] In addition to her column, she covered Georgia politics along with many high-profile court cases. She also wrote 25 books, both nonfiction and fiction, including mystery novels.[1][4]
She covered the Georgia General Assembly as a reporter from 1958 to 1978.[2] In 2000, after her death, the press gallery in the Georgia House of Representatives was named in her honor.[5] She won the first Townsend Prize for Fiction in 1982 for her book Children, My Children.[6] After an illness, Sibley died, age 85, at her beach house on Dog Island, Florida.[3]
Sibley's granddaughter, Sibley Fleming, wrote a book about her grandmother, Celestine Sibley: A Granddaughter's Reminiscence (2000).
Celestine Sibley and Sibley Fleming co-edited a collection of Sibley's writings, The Celestine Sibley Sampler: Writings & Photographs With Tributes to the Beloved Author and Journalist (1997).
Selected works
edit- The Malignant Heart, Doubleday (New York City), 1957.
- Peachtree Street, U.S.A.: An Affectionate Portrait of Atlanta, Doubleday, 1963; reprinted as Peachtree Street, U.S.A.: A Personal Look at Atlanta and Its History, Peachtree Publishers (Atlanta), 1994.
- Christmas in Georgia, Doubleday, 1964.
- A Place Called Sweet Apple, Doubleday, 1967.
- Dear Store: An Affectionate Portrait of Rich's, Doubleday, 1967.
- Especially at Christmas, Doubleday, 1969.
- Mothers Are Always Special, Doubleday, 1970.
- The Sweet Apple Gardening Book, Doubleday, 1972.
- Day by Day with Celestine Sibley, Doubleday, 1975.
- Small Blessings, Doubleday, 1977.
- Jincey, Simon & Schuster (New York City), 1979.
- The Magical Realm of Sallie Middleton, Oxmoor House (Birmingham, AL), 1980.
- Children, My Children, Harper (New York City), 1981.
- Young 'Uns: A Celebration, Harper, 1982.
- For All Seasons, Peachtree Publishers, 1984.
- Turned Funny: A Memoir, Harper, 1988.
- Christmas in Georgia, Peachtree Publishers, 1985.
- Tokens of Myself, Longstreet Press, 1990.
"Kate Mulcay" mystery novels
edit- Ah, Sweet Mystery, HarperCollins (New York City), 1991.
- Straight as an Arrow, HarperCollins, 1992.
- Dire Happenings at Scratch Ankle, HarperCollins, 1993.
- A Plague of Kinfolks, HarperCollins, 1995.
- Spider in the Sink, HarperCollins, 1997.
Awards
edit- Three awards from Associated Press for news stories[1]
- Two awards from Georgia Conference on Social Work for stories contributing to human welfare[1]
- Radio and television awards from Pall Mall[1]
- Awards from Dixie Council of Authors and Journalists, for Small Blessings[1]
- Green Eyeshadow Award from Sigma Delta Chi[1]
- Posthumously inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2007.[2]
- Inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement in 2010.[2]
- Inducted into the Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2019.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Contemporary Authors Online". Biography in Context. Gale. 2005. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Purcell, Kim (13 August 2013). "Celestine Sibley (1914-1999)". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ a b Brett, Jennifer (May 9, 2014). "Remembering Celestine Sibley". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ Barringer, Felicity (August 17, 1999). "Celestine Sibley Is Dead at 85; Columnist Embodied the South". New York Times. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ "HR 1184 - Sibley, Celestine; designate House press gallery in her honor". Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ "History of the Townsend Prize". Georgia Perimeter College. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ Geiger, Walter (June 5, 2019). "Meltons inducted into Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame". The Herald-Gazette. Barnesville, Georgia. Archived from the original on June 10, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.