Jerome Lawrence(1915-2004)

Jerome Lawrence is best known for the plays "Auntie Mame," "Inherit the Wind," and "First Monday in October" which he co-wrote with Robert E. Lee. In all, they collaborated on 39 works over their 50 year partnership. A theatre archive is named for them at Ohio State University, where Lawrence graduated. He worked for several small Ohio newspapers as a reporter and editor before moving into radio as a writer for CBS. He taught playwriting at the University of Southern California's Master of Professional Writing Program. The school recently named its one-act-play festival in his honor. Even though his works are still produced all over the world, Lawrence's lone Tony Award nomination was for Best Musical, for "Mame" (book).