Went to heaven on 12/18/03. With rare persistence, he endured the initial unwillingness of publishers to take on Kerouacs unorthodox narrative and was later the longtime agent for poet and playwright Amiri Baraka, novelist Ken Kesey and poet and City Lights bookstore owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti. It began when his mother read to him after dinner; he continued to edit his school newspaper and worked as a sports stringer around the same time for the Des Moines Register. He had a good death and died peacefully of old age, she told The Associated Press. His upbringing, he would later write, was the kind of pleasant, orderly world the Beats were trampling on in the fifties and sixties.. Sterling Lord was the agent who represented Jimmy Breslin, Art Buchwald, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gordon Parks, and, most notably, Jack Kerouac. He negotiated terms between McGinniss and accused killer Jeffrey MacDonald, later convicted, for the true crime classic Fatal Vision. He found a publisher for Nicholas Pileggis mob story Wiseguy and helped arrange the deal for its celebrated film adaptation, Goodfellas., In the early 1960s, Viking had asked Lord to get a blurb from Kerouac for One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Keseys first and most famous novel. Books and tennis were lifelong passions for Lord, born in Burlington, Iowa, in 1920. In 1957, the book was released, The New York Times raved, and On the Road soon entered the American canon. Mr. Lord even recruited a doctor who unsuccessfully attempted to get Kerouac to clean up, but the businessman eventually backed away since he was his literary agent, not his life agent.. Even younger editors who could relate to Kerouacs jazzy celebration of youth and personal freedom turned him down. Sterling Lord, who started his own agency in 1952 and later merged with rival Literistic to form Sterling Lord Literistic Inc., was a failed magazine publisher who became, almost surely, the . He had just turned 102. Rarely, he boasted, did he scour for clients, let alone steal them as others were increasingly wont to do. Sterling Lord, literary agent who shepherded On the Road, dies at 102, Kyle Kuzma, Wizards start fast and dont look back in win over Raptors, Nationals relievers see benefit in tinkering with new pitches, Roger Goodell, Muriel Bowser discussed future of RFK site in December call. Early life and education [ edit] Lord was born in Burlington, Iowa, [1] [2] on September 3, 1920. A third author on hand that day, the writer Nicholas Pileggi, had been a client for at least 50 years. Sterling Lord - Wikipedia After serving in the Army Air Force during World War II, Lord co-owned the Germany-based magazine Weekend, which soon folded. Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Sterling Lawrence | Obituary | Bangor Daily News NEW YORK -. After an influential career in publishing books for young readers,. He had one daughter. But it took him so long to sell it that a discouraged Kerouac asked him to pull it off the market. Lord oversaw many of Kerouacs posthumous releases, even as he battled with the authors family for control of the estate. 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The article reported that Lord was living in a Lower Manhattan home for seniors, and he was starting a new literary agency at 99 years old. But Mr. Lord proved powerless to halt Kerouacs decline into alcoholism and drugs, during which Mr. Lord would sometimes spring for his groceries. Mr. Lord had represented him for a mere 44 years. First, Im interested in good writing. Sept. 4, 2022 2:05 PM PT. But this is not a well-made novel, nor a salable one nor even, I think, a good one.. A native of Miami, FL. The list of well-known writers he represented is long. I decided to go home, he told the AP in 2013. NEW YORK (AP) Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and over the following decades arranged deals for. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, Mr. Lord co-owned the Germany-based magazine Weekend, which soon folded. Mr. Lord had met many agents during his magazine years and believed they failed to understand that the American public was becoming more urban and sophisticated. Sterling Lord, Unique Literary Agent, Dies at 102 Obituary In his 2013 memoir Lord of Publishing, Lord recalled his first meeting with Kerouac in 1952. Lord turned them down, much to their surprise and anger. Duane was born December 16, 1950 in Dixon the son of Maurice and Marcella (Liechty) Scholl Read More, Patricia Ann Van Coillie Born: June 14, 1944 in Colorado Springs, CO Died: January 13, 2023 in Sterling, IL STERLING - Patricia A. Lord had met many agents during his magazine years and believed they failed to understand that the American public was becoming more urban and sophisticated. One author represented by his new agency was Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Thanks to friendship with Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, Lord helped launch Stan and Ian Berenstains multimillion-dollar books about a family of anthropomorphic bears. Henrietta Lord Obituary (2002) - Cleveland, OH - The Plain Dealer Another was Rowland Barber, who helped the silent Marx brother write Harpo Speaks!. But he quickly added a caveat: Never, he said, could he have sold it. But it is not a well-made novel, not a marketable one, or even, I think, a good one.. Ruth was born on June 24, 1926 in Escanaba, MI, the daughter of Joseph and Edna (Martel) Read More, Michael Hoyle Born: May 9, 1950 in Dixon, IL Died: January 18, 2023 in Rockford, IL STERLING Michael Hoyle, age 72, died Wednesday, January 18, 2023 at Javon Bae Hospital in Rockford. Thanks to his friendship with Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, Lord helped launch Stan and Jan Berenstains multimillion-selling books about an anthropomorphic bear family. Mr. Lord embraced Merry Pranksters and mobsters as well as more conventional types. Second, I am interested in new and good ideas. Interment will be at the Bountiful City . He was well-spoken and athletic, a most able negotiator who dressed in tweed and avoided most vices. One editor wrote to Mr. Lord: Kerouac does have enormous talent of a very special kind. She was born on September 9, 1951 in Sterling the daughter of Hurley Ivan Read More, Carolyn June Hilliard Scharfenberg Born: November 26, 1947 Died: February 20, 2023 STERLING, IL " Carolyn June Hilliard Scharfenberg, age 75, passed away in her home in Sterling, IL on February 20, 2023 with her family by her side. He didnt bother to attend a special screening, citing mixed early reviews, and didnt show up for a private party for the film. He had just turned 102. Representatives for the former president informed Lord in the late 1960s that Johnson wanted $1 million for the book and that Mr. Lord should accept less than his usual commission for the honor of working with him. Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. When Kerouac died in October 1969, Mr. Lord was at his funeral, both incongruous natty as ever in his blue shirt with the white collar and a dark necktie, as the Beat writer and historian John Clellon Holmes later wrote and at home amid the aging Beats, youthful acolytes and assorted locals gathered at a Roman Catholic church in Lowell, Mass. I wasnt thinking of it; I was thinking of helping Jack, he said in an interview for this obituary in 2013. Sterling Lord, an Iowa native who attended Grinnell College and wrote about sports for the Des Moines Register, died Saturday in a nursing home in Ocala, Florida, his daughter said. He was well-spoken and athletic, a most able negotiator who dressed in tweed and avoided most vices. Sterling Lord, premier literary agent, is dead at 102 Steven was born January 3, 1956 in Dixon, IL, the son of Alvin and Mary (Davis) Moeller. Read More, Duane Scholl Born: December 16, 1950 in Dixon, Illinois Died: January 14, 2023 in Polo, Illinois Duane Scholl, 72, of Polo died Saturday January 14, 2023 at his farm surrounded by family. But Lord had little involvement in the project, directed by Walter Salles and starring Sam Riley and Kristen Stewart. His upbringing, he would later write, was the kind of pleasant, orderly world the Beats were trampling on in the fifties and sixties.. For Mr. Lord, who died on Saturday his 102nd birthday in Ocala, Fla., such steadfastness was standard. He stayed with the company he founded until he was nearly 100 and then decided to launch a new one. His full roster of clients produced works about sports, politics, murder and the travails of illustrated animals. The Lord refused them, to their great surprise and anger. One early client was Al Hirshberg, who ghostwrote Fear Strikes Out, Jimmy Piersalls memoir of baseball and mental illness. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. Lord turned them down, much to their surprise and anger. All rights reserved. Johnsons book, The Vantage Point, finally published in 1971, was dismissed by critics as bland and uninformative. After years of failed attempts, a filmed version of On the Road was released in 2012. Charlotte was born March 12, 1945 in Chilhowie VA the daughter of Marvin Read More, Robert Lee Marsh Born: April 6, 1946 in Sterling, Illinois Died: January 10, 2023 in Sterling, Illinois Robert (Bob) Lee Marsh, 76, of Sterling, Illinois, peacefully passed away on January 10, 2023, at Heritage Woods of Sterling. An editor from Viking Press contacted Lord, offering an advance of $900. Gordon married Read More, Maurice Sweitzer Born: November 20, 1939 in Freeport, IL Died: January 21, 2023 in Sterling, IL Maurice E. Sweitzer, 83 of Sterling died Saturday January 21, 2023 at CGH Medical Center in Sterling. Lord was a fledgling Manhattan literary agent in 1952 when . And third, Ive been able to meet some extraordinarily interesting people.. Mr. Lord didnt keep his original manuscript of Kerouacs On the Road, nor did he ever procure a signed copy for himself. Representatives for the former president informed Lord in the late 1960s that Johnson wanted $1 million for the book and that Lord should accept less than his usual commission for the honor of working with him. Lord died Saturday in a nursing home in Ocala, Florida, according to his daughter, Rebecca Lord. He gradually yielded day-to-day management of the company Sterling Lord Literistic. The literary agent Sterling Lord in his office in Manhattan in 2016, surrounded by books whose authors he represented. View Sterling obituaries on Legacy, the most timely and comprehensive collection of local obituaries for Sterling, Illinois, updated regularly throughout the day with submissions from newspapers, funeral homes, and direct from the community. It was for his association with another writer, Jack Kerouac, and Kerouacs book On the Road, that Mr. Lord will most likely be remembered most, though his claim there is disputed. Lord had met many agents during his years at the magazine and believed that they failed to understand that the American public was becoming increasingly urban and sophisticated. Lord even recruited a doctor who unsuccessfully attempted to get Kerouac to clean up, but the businessman eventually backed away since he was his literary agent, not his life agent., Lord attended Kerouacs funeral, sharing a limousine ride with his client Jimmy Breslin and standing by the grave alongside Allen Ginsberg, the sunlight filtering through the trees, the leaves brown after losing their fall colors.. Mr. Lords partner at the time, Stanley L. Colbert, later claimed that things went down very differently. [5] Little Boy, part novel, part memoir, was published by Doubleday in time for Ferlinghetti's 100th birthday. An editor from Viking Press contacted Lord, offering an advance of $900. For more than 60 years he was one of New Yorks most successful and durable literary agents, representing Jimmy Breslin, Art Buchwald, Willie Morris, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Howard Fast, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gordon Parks, Edward M. Kennedy, Robert S. McNamara and the Berenstain Bears, among many others. Mr. Lord was married and divorced four times. He represented former US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and Judge John Sirica of Watergate fame and often worked with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis during her tenure as editor of Doubleday and Viking. "Hey, I'm. Cynthia was born June 20, 1954 in Louisville, KY, the daughter of Raymond and Dolores (Dezutti) Blackard. Lord had met many agents during his magazine years and believed they failed to understand that the American public was becoming more urban and sophisticated. An editor from Viking Press contacted Mr. Lord, offering an advance of $900. Sterling Lord, literary agent who shepherded 'On the Road,' dies at 102 He had just turned 102. He had a good death and died peacefully of old age, she told The Associated Press. [3] His father, also named Sterling, was an executive at the Leopold Desk Company in Burlington who also worked as a bookbinder. Instead, Lorde found a deal on Chairman LBJ Quotes, a best-selling parody. Carrie was born July 28, 1937 the daughter of Carl and Roda (McPherson) Blankenship. NEW YORK Sterling Lord, the uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and over the following decades arranged deals for. Anne was born July 26, 1927 in Gary, IN. His upbringing, he would later write, was the kind of pleasant, orderly world the Beats were trampling on in the fifties and sixties.. Cynthia L. Dale Born: June 20, 1954 in Louisville, KY Died: March 2, 2023 in Sterling, IL Cynthia L. Dale, age 68, of Sterling, died Thursday, March 2, 2023 at her home. On September 3, 2022, star literary agent and book enthusiast, Sterling Lord, passed away at the age of 102 in Ocala, . I decided to go home, he told the AP in 2013. By 1955, Kerouac was ready to give up but Lord was not. Even younger editors who may have related to Kerouacs jazzy celebration of youth and personal freedom turned him down. In 1957, the book was released, The New York Times raved and On the Road soon entered the American canon. Mike was born on May 9, 1950 in Dixon the son of Richard and Lolita (Horton) Hoyle. His upbringing, he later wrote, was the kind of pleasant, orderly world the Beats were trampling on in the fifties and sixties.. He didnt bother to attend a special screening, citing mixed early reviews, and didnt show up for a private party for the film. Lord studied English at Grinnell College, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1942. In 1976, his book Returning The Serve Intelligently was included in the United States Tennis Instructional Series published by Doubleday. Thanks to his friendship with Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, Lord helped launch Stan and Jan Berenstains multimillion-selling books about an anthropomorphic bear family. But his success began with an unknown named Jack Kerouac and his hard-to-sell novel. His full roster of clients produced works about sports, politics, murder and the travails of illustrated animals. They can walk down the street, and tell that the little old lady with the shopping cart is a cop. A number of things about this business have really caught me and made it a compelling interest, Mr. Lord told the AP in 2013. Kerouac already had completed a conventional novel, The Town and the City, but had no agent and surely needed one for his next book: On the Road was typed, as Lord was among the first to know, on a 120-foot scroll of architectural tracing paper., Lord believed that Kerouac had a fresh, distinctive voice that should be heard. But the industry was not in the mood.