BERNICE "BEE" CULLINAN
Portrait of a Giver
As a companion to our “Profile of a Volunteer” series, NCTE is pleased to present an article series dedicated to those who have generously supported NCTE through financial gifts.
In this feature, Bee Cullinan shares her passion for poetry and why she felt the need to create the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children through her gifts.
What motivated you to make a gift to NCTE?
NCTE was the first professional organization I belonged to and the one I knew best. I was serving on the publications committee when my son Jonathan died in a bicycle accident on November 6, 1975. At that time, there were no awards for poetry, but there were many children’s book awards and prizes. Because of my passion for poetry, several dear people got together and decided that some beauty must come from such tragedy.
The people instrumental in creating the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children were Charlotte Huck, my mentor and President of NCTE at the time, Alvina Burrows, my colleague at New York University, Charlotte Brooks, Vice President of NCTE, John Donovan, Director of the Children’s Book Council, and Sister Rosemary Winkeljohann, NCTE Elementary Level Director. They worked diligently to get it established and in November 1977 the first NCTE poetry award was given to David McCord, known as the father of children’s poetry. Besides providing the initial financial backing for the award, I also direct any royalties from my NCTE poetry back to the award and poetry activities.
The third NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children winner, Karla Kuskin, designed the medallion that now goes on every winning book. The medallion is of a little boy sitting in a tree reading a book—two things Jonathan loved to do. This award has really been wonderful therapy for me in dealing with my loss because I know children are being exposed to poetry because of the award and the authors are being recognized.
How were you introduced to poetry?
I was Charlotte Huck’s first doctoral student and I was taking a poetry class, as well as teaching kindergarten and first grades. Charlotte would loan me books of poetry to take back to my classroom with me; I would write the poems out on big tablets of paper and say them over and over with the children. After they memorized the poems, they could follow along and read the poems, recognize the words. It’s a very successful strategy—I call it the three R’s: Rhythm, Repetition, and Rhyme. After I saw how well the kids took to reading, poetry became a big part of my life.
How has poetry influenced your life?
I love reading poetry; it makes my heart sing. It’s such a wonderful way to express passion. Whether it’s laughing or crying, it will bring out things for which you care deeply.
In 1990, Kent Brown from the Boyd Mills Press, a Highlights for Children Company, approached me and asked me to be the editor of poetry for children. At the time, I told him that I thought there were people out there that knew more about poetry than I, but he said that they had decided that they wanted me. I am still editor-in-chief of WordSong. One of my earliest projects was to compile a book of poems from NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children winners, A Jar of Tiny Stars, named after one of the poems by Lilian Moore.
How did philanthropy become a part of your life?
I have been truly blessed. A lot of good things have happened to me and I feel like I should pass that on, especially to children. Of course, bad things have happened to me, but I just feel that I have such blessings and have been surrounded by such wonderful people that I can’t help but pass it on. Besides, teachers and kids are my favorite people in the whole world!
What is your favorite poem?
Keep A Poem In Your Pocket
By Beatrice Schenk de Regniers
Keep a poem in your pocket
And a picture in your head
And you’ll never feel lonely
At night when you’re in bed.
The little poem will sing to you
The little picture bring to you
A dozen dreams to dance to you
At night when you’re in bed.
So - -
Keep a picture in your pocket
And a poem in your head
And you’ll never feel lonely
At night when you’re in bed.
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