Plate, Robert 1918–2005
Plate, Robert 1918–2005
OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born July 31, 1918, in New York, NY; died May 14, 2005, in East Hampton, NY. Writer. Plate was a freelance writer best known for his biographies for young audiences. After attending Duke University and New York University, he worked as a firefighter during World War II, refusing to enlist and obtaining conscientious-objector status. After the war years, he embarked on a freelance writing career, and early work involved everything from short stories to contributions to comic strips, including "Captain Midnight." By the 1960s, he focused more on historical biographies. His first book, Palette and Tomahawk: The Story of George Catlin (1962), was followed by such works as The Dinosaur Hunters: Cope and Marsh (1964) and John Singleton Copley: America's First Great Artist (1969). In his later years, Plate primarily contributed to arts journals, as well as writing screenplays for television.
OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:
PERIODICALS
Chicago Tribune, June 6, 2005, section 4, p. 12.
New York Times, June 5, 2005, p. A29.