Apps, Jerry 1934- (Jerold W. Apps, Jerold Willard Apps)

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Apps, Jerry 1934- (Jerold W. Apps, Jerold Willard Apps)

PERSONAL:

Born July 25, 1934, in Wild Rose, WI; son of Herman E. (a farmer) and Eleanor Apps; married Ruth E. Olson (a home economist), May 20, 1961; children: Susan, Steven, Jeffrey. Education: University of Wisconsin, B.S., 1955, M.S. 1957, Ph.D., 1967. Politics: Independent. Religion: Lutheran. Hobbies and other interests: Wildflower study, bird study, nature photography, hiking, camping, canoeing, fishing, farming.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Madison, WI. Office—Department of Continuing and Vocational Education, University of Wisconsin, 264d Teacher Education Bldg., 225 North Mills St., Madison, WI 53706. E-mail—jwapps@facstaff.wisc.edu

CAREER:

County extension agent in Wisconsin, 1957-62; University of Wisconsin—Madison, 1967—, began as associate professor, became professor emeritus, 1993—. Teacher of creative writing at Rhinelander School of Arts, 1971-2002, and at The Clearing, 1990—. McGraw-Hill, consulting editor, 1976-83. Military service: U.S. Army Reserve, 1956-66; active duty in Transportation Corps, 1956; became captain.

MEMBER:

Authors Guild, Authors League of America, Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters (past president), Council for Wisconsin Writers (past president).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Award for best nonfiction book by a Wisconsin author from Wisconsin Council for Writers, 1977, and nonfiction book award of merit from Wisconsin Historical Society, 1978, both for Barns ofWisconsin; Research to Practice Award, Adult Education Association, 1982, for Problems in Continuing Education and Toward a Working Philosophy of Adult Education; scholarly book award, Wisconsin Council for Writers, 1989; teaching excellence award, Rhinelander School of Arts, 1990; Lansdowne scholar, University of Victoria, 1991; outstanding literary achievement award, Wisconsin Library Association, 1993; award of recognition, Wisconsin Retired Educators Association, 1994; Wisconsin Idea Award, University of Wisconsin-Extension, 1994; Award for Excellence in Interpretation of Wisconsin and Midwest Heritage, Robert E. Gard Foundation and Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters, 1996; fellow, International Hall of Fame for Adult and Continuing Education, 1996; Wisconsin 4-H Alumni Award, Wisconsin 4-H Foundation, 1998; Midwest Favorite Book Award, Upper Midwest Booksellers Association, 1999-2000; Pride of Wisconsin Award for Excellence in the Field of Regional Literature, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 2001-02; Outstanding Academic Title, Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library Association, 2005; Major Achievement Award, Council for Wisconsin Writers, 2007.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION; AS JERRY APPS, EXCEPT AS NOTED

The Land Still Lives, Wisconsin House (Madison, WI), 1970.

Cabin in the Country, Argus (Allen, TX), 1972.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) How to Improve Adult Education in Your Church, Augsburg (Minneapolis, MN), 1972.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) Toward a Working Philosophy of Adult Education, Syracuse University Press (Syracuse, NY), 1973.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) Tips for Article Writers, Wisconsin Regional Writers, 1973.

Village of Roses, Wild Rose Historical Society (Wild Rose, WI), 1973.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) Ideas for Better Church Meetings, Augsburg (Minneapolis, MN), 1975.

Barns of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Trails (Madison, WI), 1977.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) Study Skills: For Those Adults Returning to School, McGraw (New York, NY), 1978.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) Problems in Continuing Education, McGraw, (New York, NY) 1979.

Mills of Wisconsin and the Midwest, Wisconsin Trails (Madison, WI), 1980.

(Editor, with Robert Boyd) Redefining the Discipline of Adult Education, Jossey-Bass (San Francisco, CA), 1980.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) The Adult Learner on Campus, Follett (Chicago, IL), 1981.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) Improving Your Writing Skills, Follett (Chicago, IL), 1982.

Skiing into Wisconsin, Pearl-Win, 1985.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) Improving Practice in Continuing Education, Jossey-Bass (San Francisco, CA), 1985.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) Higher Education in a Learning Society, Jossey-Bass (San Francisco, CA), 1988.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) Study Skills for Today's College Student, McGraw (New York, NY), 1990.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) Mastering the Teaching of Adults, Krieger (Malabar, FL), 1991.

Breweries of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin Press (Madison, WI), 1992.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) Leadership for the Emerging Age: Transforming Practice in Adult and Continuing Education, Jossey-Bass (San Francisco, CA), 1994.

One-Room Country Schools: History and Recollections from Wisconsin, Amherst Press (Woodruff, WI), 1996.

(Under name Jerold W. Apps) Teaching from the Heart, Krieger (Malabar, FL), 1996.

Rural Wisdom: Time-Honored Values of the Midwest, photography by Steve Apps, Amherst Press (Woodruff, WI), 1997.

The Wisconsin Traveler's Companion: A Guide to Country Sights, illustrations by Julie Sutter-Blair, Wisconsin Trails (Madison, WI), 1997.

Cheese: The Making of a Wisconsin Tradition, photography by Steve Apps, Amherst Press (Woodruff, WI), 1998.

When Chores Were Done: Boyhood Stories, photography by Steve Apps, Amherst Press (Woodruff, WI), 1999.

Symbols: Viewing a Rural Past, photography by Steve Apps, Amherst Press (Woodruff, WI), 2000, revised edition published as Country Ways and Country Days: From Weathervanes and Tractors to Auctions and Outhouses … Remembering Rural Life, Voyageur Press (Stillwater, MN), 2005.

Humor from the Country (stories), Amherst Press (Woodruff, WI), 2001.

The People Came First: A History of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension, Wisconsin Cooperative Extension (Madison, WI), 2001.

Eat Rutabagas (children's book), Amherst Press (Woodruff, WI), 2002.

Stormy (children's book), Amherst Press (Woodruff, WI), 2002.

The Travels of Increase Joseph (historical novel), Badger Books (Fort Atkinson, WI), 2003.

Ringlingville USA: The Stupendous Story of Seven Siblings and Their Stunning Circus Success, Wisconsin Historical Society Press (Madison, WI), 2004.

Every Farm Tells a Story: A Tale of Family Farm Values, Voyageur Press (Stillwater, MN), 2005.

Country Wisdom: Timeless Values and Virtues from the American Heartland, Voyageur Press (Stillwater, MN), 2005.

Country Ways and Country Days: From Weathervanes and Tractors to Auctions and Outhouses … Remembering Rural Life, Voyageur Press (Stillwater, MN), 2005.

Tents, Tigers, and the Ringling Brothers (juvenile), Wisconsin Historical Society Press (Madison, WI), 2006.

Living a Country Year: Wit and Wisdom from the Good Old Days, Voyageur Press (Stillwater, MN), 2007.

In a Pickle: A Family Farm Story (novel), University of Wisconsin of Press (Madison, WI), 2007.

Contributor to books, including Linking Philosophy and Practice, edited by Sharon Merriam, Jossey-Bass (San Francisco, CA), 1982; Lifelong Education for Adults: An International Handbook, Pergamon Press, 1986; and Effective Teaching Style, edited by Elisabeth Hayes, Jossey-Bass (San Francisco, CA), 1989. Author of weekly column "Outdoor Notebook" appearing in three Wisconsin newspapers. Contributor of numerous articles to periodicals, including Life Long Learning, Hospital Progress, Resource, Wisconsin Trails, Outdoor World, and Wisconsin Academy Review. Book editor, Journal of Adult Education, 1967-69; editor, Journal of Extension, 1969-70; consulting editor, Adult Learning, 1989—. Has also written for television.

SIDELIGHTS:

The author of over thirty books, Jerry Apps has focused on the wit and wisdom of rural Wisconsin in most of his work. Apps, born and raised on a Wisconsin farm, has culled family yarns and state industries for nonfiction works of social history and tales of fiction for readers young and old, many of which detail life as it was once lived on the farms of the state. Apps, an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin, is also the author of numerous works on education.

Illustrative of his writings about rural Wisconsin are Every Farm Tells a Story: A Tale of Family Farm Values, Humor from the Country, and Country Ways and Country Days: From Weathervanes and Tractors to Auctions and Outhouses … Remembering Rural Life. With Every Farm Tells a Story, Apps presents a "a fine blend of business savvy, history, and humor," according to a reviewer for Bookwatch. In this book, Apps details the changes over several decades in farm management and farming values as increased mechanization has come into play. Similarly, in Humor from the Country, Apps provides readers with rural tales that are "funny with more than a touch of wisdom and truth," as an MBR Bookwatch writer noted. And in Country Ways and Country Days the author creates a "lovingly crafted version of an oral history," as a reviewer for Reference & Research Book News observed, reminiscing about life on farms before tractors and computerization.

Apps has also turned his attention to the famous Ringling family, founders of the circus that bears the family name. His Ringlingville USA: The Stupendous Story of Seven Siblings and Their Stunning Circus Success details how this immigrant family spawned seven siblings who created one of the world's largest circuses. Writing in History, Janet M. Davis commented that the author "meticulously crafted a terrific account of the Ringlings' rise from poverty to great wealth." Writing for a juvenile audience, Apps adapted this material for Tents, Tigers, and the Ringling Brothers, an "illuminating account of nineteenth-century circus life," remarked Todd Morning in Booklist. Apps once told CA: "Each day I learn something new about the art and craft of writing. May it always be so."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2007, Todd Morning, review of Tents, Tigers, and the Ringling Brothers, p. 74.

Bookwatch, June, 2005, review of Every Farm Tells a Story: A Tale of Family Farm Values.

History, spring, 2005, Janet M. Davis, review of Ringlingville USA: The Stupendous Story of Seven Siblings and Their Stunning Circus Success, p. 105.

MBR Bookwatch, September, 2005, Diane C. Donovan, review of Humor from the Country.

Reference & Research Book News, August, 2005, review of Breweries of Wisconsin, p. 280; November, 2005, review of Country Ways and Country Days: From Weathervanes and Tractors to Auctions and Outhouses … Remembering Rural Life.