Garry C. Myers

Garry Cleveland Myers was born on July 15, 1884, in Sylvan, Pennsylvania, and grew up in rural Pennsylvania Dutch country. A well-educated individual, he graduated from Ursinus College in 1909 with a bachelor's degree. He then went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania as a graduate student from 1909 to 1910 and then finally received his doctorate in child psychology from Columbia University in 1913.

Garry was an active member of many prestigious organizations such as the American Psychological Association and the National Society for the Study of Education. He also served as an educator at various universities and training schools. From 1912 to 1914, he served as a professor of both psychology and social science at Juniata College located in Huntington County. He taught at Case Western Reserve University, formerly known as Western Reserve College, as well as the Brooklyn Training School for Teachers.

Garry Myers met his wife and long-time writing partner, Caroline Elizabeth Clark Myers, while they were both studying at Ursinus College. They married on June 26, 1912. Garry Myers not only served in the United States Army as a captain in 1918 during World War I, but also participated in the education of illiterate soldiers. Caroline Myers joined him in this duty, making her the first female employee in the history of the United States Army. After the war’s end, the Myers couple moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and started a family that would include their sons, Jack and Garry Jr., and their daughter Elizabeth.

Garry Myers produced an extensive bibliography during his life, almost all of which are focused on child education and parenting skills. He wrote a significant portion of these in conjunction with his wife, Caroline. Using his knowledge of psychology, he also came to the aid of troubled parents as he composed a weekly newspaper column entitled “Parent Problems.” The column ran from 1928 until 1971 in tandem with a radio show; Garry had produced 12,000 individual columns by its end. Garry wrote several books about child development and educational resources such as For Beginning the School Day (1966), a guidebook comprised of stories and poems intended for classroom discussions. Garry’s focus gradually shifted from parenting education to child education, prompting his foray into children’s magazines.

Garry began working with children’s magazines in the 1920s, an editing career that he would continue for the rest of his life. From 1941 to 1946, the Myers couple spent much of their time traveling the United States speaking to children in their classrooms while representing the Children’s Activities magazine. However, the pair aspired for more than simply representing another editor’s magazine, and their collective brainstorming gave birth to the idea of the Highlights magazine. When their superiors at Children’s Activities caught wind of their idea, however, the two instantly lost their positions at the magazine.

Garry Cleveland Myers and Caroline Elizabeth Clark Myers started a minor revolution in 1946 when they founded Highlights for Children in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, in a two-room office about a car dealership. This was not just a magazine for children. Highlights for Children taught children about not only academics, but about life. Though the magazine endured many hardships, including financial troubles and the tragic death by plane crash of Garry Jr. and Mary, it would soon grow into a successful and iconic publication.

Garry Cleveland Myers held the position of editor-in-chief until the time of his death on July 19, 1971. His magazine lives on in the hearts of millions of children.

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