Ormonde DeKay (1923-1998)
Ormonde DeKay (1923-1998) was a writer, poet, and magazine editor known for his attention to wordplay and language. He wrote dozens of documentaries, contributed to the script of the highly praised 1949 film Lost Boundaries, wrote several books that combined his affection for light verse and French, and was the author of children’s biographies of Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lewis and Clark. He wrote articles on history for magazines such as American Heritage and Horizon, where he was articles editor in the 1970's, and he contributed to The New Yorker, Harper’s, and The Atlantic Monthly. DeKay turned full time to freelance writing in the 1980's and 90's. His last book, From the Age That Is Past (1994), is a history of the Harvard Club of New York.
DeKay, who was born in New York City in 1923, graduated from Harvard College in 1945, where he was the editor of the university literary magazine The Advocate. During World War II and the Korean War he served aboard Navy destroyer escorts. In the late 1940's and 50's he lived in Paris, London, Munich, and Rome, writing radio and film scripts. Later, he helped to start Interplay, a magazine about international affairs.
