Erma Louise Bombeck (February 21, 1927 – April 22, 1996), born Erma Fiste, was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for a newspaper column that depicted suburban home life humorously, in the second half of the 20th century. is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... A humorist is an author who specializes in short, humorous articles or essays. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Suburb. ...

For 31 years since 1965, Erma Bombeck published 4,000 newspaper articles. Already in the 1970s, her witty columns were read, twice weekly, by thirty million readers of 900 newspapers of USA and Canada. Besides, the majority of her 15 books became instant best sellers. Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and booktrade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. ...

Early Life

Erma Bombeck was born in Dayton, Ohio. She grew up in a working-class family. Her father was the city crane operator Cassius Fiste and her mother's name was Erma too. Bombeck lived with a paternal half sister, the elder Thelma. : Gem City : Birthplace of Aviation United States Ohio Montgomery 56. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... A modern crawler type derrick crane with outriggers. ...

Bombeck began to attend school in 1932, a year before her corresponding age. Soon, she became a great student, as a great reader. Particularly, Bombeck enjoyed the popular writers of humor of that time. After Bombeck's father passed away in 1936, she moved, with her mother only, into her grandmother's home. In 1938 her mother remarried, to Albert Harris (a moving van owner). Bombeck practiced tap dance and singing, being hired by a local radio for a children revue for eight years. Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... “Removalist” redirects here. ... Man tap dancing. ... Harry Belafonte singing, photograph by C. van Vechten Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with speech. ... A revue is a type of theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches that satirize contemporary figures, news, or literature. ...

Formative Years

In 1940, Erma Bombeck entered into the local Emerson Junior High. She started to write a humorous column for its newspaper (The Owl). In 1942, Bombeck entered Patterson Vocational High School. Therein, she wrote a serious column of actuality, mixing bits of humor. Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Middle school (also known as intermediate school or junior high school) covers a period of education that straddles primary/elementary education and secondary education, serving as a bridge between the two. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... As part of education in the United States, secondary education usually covers grades 5, 6, or 7 through twelve. ...

In 1942, Bombeck began to work in the Dayton Herald as a copygirl, sharing her full time assignment with a girlfriend. In 1943, for her first journalistic work, Bombeck interviewed Shirley Temple, who visited Dayton, and the interview became a newspaper feature. The Dayton Daily News (DDN) is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio. ... A copyist is a person who makes written copies. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the cocktail named after this person, see Shirley Temple cocktail. ...

Bombeck completed High School in 1944. Then, to earn a College fund, she worked for a year as a typewriter and shorthand typist, for the Dayton Herald and several other companies. Simultaneously, Bombeck did some minor journalistic assignments for the Dayton Herald, such as in the obituary section. Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Higher education in the United States refers to colleges and universities within the United States. ... Mechanical desktop typewriters, such as this Underwood Five, were long time standards of government agencies, newsrooms, and sales offices. ... Shorthand is an abbreviated, symbolic writing method that improves speed of writing or brevity as compared to a normal method of writing a language. ...

By means of her college fund, Bombeck entered into the Ohio University of Athens in 1946. However, she failed most of her literary assignments and was rejected for the university newspaper. Additionally, Bombeck ended up broke after the first semester. Ohio University (OHIO) is a public university located in Athens, Ohio that is situated on a 1,800 acre (7. ... Athens is a historic college town in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, best known as the home of Ohio University. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bombeck enrolled, nonetheless, into the Roman Catholic University of Dayton. She lived in her own family home and was hired by Rike's Store department store. There, she wrote humorous material for the company newsletter. In the College, the English Professor and Priest Tom Price commented to Bombeck about her great prospects as a writer and, so, she began to write for the University publication (The Exponent). Bombeck graduated in 1949, with a degree in English. Indeed, she was an active contact of the University for life, helping financially and participating personally. Eventually, she became an extraordinary lifetime trustee of the institution (1987). Catholic Church redirects here. ... The University of Dayton is a private Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio. ... The interior of a typical Macys department store. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The word trustee is a legal term that refers to a holder of property on behalf of a beneficiary. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ...

Also in 1949, Bombeck converted to the Roman Catholic church, from the United Brethren church, and married Bill Bombeck, a former student fellow of Dayton University who was a veteran of World War II Korean front. His subsequent profession would be that of school supervisor. The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is an evangelical Christian denomination based in Huntington, Indiana. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Flag of the Japanese Empire Anthem Kimi ga Yoa Korea under Japanese Occupation Capital Keijo Language(s) Korean, Japanese Religion Shintoisma Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor of Japan  - 1910–1912 Emperor Meiji  - 1912–1925 Emperor Taisho  - 1925–1945 Emperor Showa Governor-General of Korea  - 1910–1916 Masatake Terauchi  - 1916–1919 Yoshimichi...

Housewife Column

Early Journalism

Erma Bombeck stayed on as a Dayton Journal Herald reporter, in the woman section, writing both its feature stories and a humorous housekeeping column (Operation Dustrag). Also, Bombeck interviewed Eleanor Roosevelt and Mamie Eisenhower. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (IPA: ; October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962) was First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. ... Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower (November 14, 1896 – November 1, 1979) was the wife of General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961. ...

Housewife (1954-1964)

Domestically, the Bombeck marriage was diagnosed with the improbability of a natural conception. Consequently, they adopted Betsy in 1953 and Erma decided that she would become a full time housewife and relinquish her career as a journalist. During 1954, Erma Bombeck collaborated, nonetheless, in the Dayton Shopping News with another series of humorous columns. This article is about fertilisation in animals and plants. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar). ...

In 1955, despite difficult diagnoses, Erma Bombeck had her first natural son, Andrew. Then, the Bombeck family moved to Centerville, Ohio, into a tract housing development and neighboring the young Phil Donahue. Far from the journalism, Erma Bombeck initiated an intense period of homemaker, which lasted 10 years, and she had her second natural son, Matthew, in 1958. Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Centerville is a village located in Gallia County, Ohio. ... Tract housing near Union, Kentucky. ... Phillip John Donahue (born December 21, 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American media personality and writer, best known as the creator and star of The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, the first tabloid talk show. ... Jan. ...

At Wit's End (1965)

In 1964, Erma Bombeck resumed her writing career for the local Kettering-Oakwood Times, with weekly columns which yielded three dollars each. She wrote in her small bedroom, over a rustic table of plank top and two supports of cinder wood. Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... The Kettering-Oakwood Times is a weekly suburban newspaper part of Times Community Newspapers of Greater Dayton which is owned by Brown Publishing Company. ...

In 1965, the Dayton Journal Herald requested the new Erma Bombeck's humorous columns of housewife too and she agreed to write two weekly 450 word columns for fifty dollars. Just after three weeks, such articles attained national syndication through the Newsday Newspaper Syndicate, for 36 important USA newspapers, with 3 weekly columns under the At Wit's End title. Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Print Syndication is a form of syndication in which news articles, columns, or comic strips are made available to newspapers and magazines. ...

Bombeck became a popular humorist. She was requested to perform periodic 15,000 dollar lectures for years since 1966, for all cities at which her columns were read. In 1967, her articles were compiled and published by the Doubleday publisher, under the title of At Wit's End. After an embarrassing Arthur Godfrey's radio commentary, she became a regular guest of his show. Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that The Crime Club be merged into this article or section. ... In this CBS publicity photo of Arthur Godfrey Time, vocalist Patti Clayton is seen at the far right and Godfrey sits in the foreground. ...

Diversified Production

Success (1970s)

Aaron Priest, a Doubleday representative, became her loyal agent. By 1969, 500 USA newspapers featured her At Wit's End columns and she was writing articles for Good Housekeeping Magazine, Reader's Digest, Family Circle, Redbook, McCall's, and Teen (even). After conferring in Phoenix, Arizona, Erma Bombeck moved with her family into a lavish hacienda which was on a hilltop in Paradise Valley. Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Good Housekeeping is a womens magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about home economics as well as literary articles. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Family Circle is an American womens magazine published 15 times a year by Meredith Corporation. ... For other uses, see Red Book. ... Cover of the March 1911 issue McCalls was a monthly American womens magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of six million in 1960. ... Nickname: Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , Country State County Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area  - City  515. ... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ... Paradise Valley is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 14,558. ...

By 1978, 900 USA newspapers were publishing Bombeck's column. Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

McGraw-Hill (1976)

In 1976, McGraw-Hill published Bombeck's The Grass Is Always Greener Over The Septic Tank best seller. In 1978, Bombeck arranged both a million dollar contract for her fifth book (If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, 1978) and a 700 thousand copies in advance for her subsequent book (Aunt Erma's Cope Book, 1979). Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ...

Television

By the television producer Bob Shanks' proposal, Erma Bombeck participated in ABC Good Morning America since 1975, until 1986. Bombeck began doing brief commentaries which were recorded at Phoenix but, eventually, she did both gag segments and important interviews. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American television network. ... Good Morning America is a weekday morning news show that is broadcast on the ABC television network. ...

For some years, Bombeck became a multimedia workaholic. In 1978, she failed with the The Grass is Always Greener television pilot (CBS) which didn't become a sitcom. In 1980, Bombeck wrote and produced her own show, the also unsuccessful Maggie, for ABC. It aired for just four months (eight episodes) with poor reviews however it meant that Bombeck became crammed with obligations, returning from Los Angeles, California, to Phoenix only during the weekends. Bombeck was offered for a second sitcom attempt but she refused. Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... A television pilot is a test episode of an intended television series. ... This article is about the broadcast network. ... This article is about a genre of comedy. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

The Equal Rights Amendment (1978)

In 1978, Erma Bombeck integrated into the Presidential Advisory Committee for Women. Then, she became particularly engaged for the final implementation of the Equal Rights Amendment, with the ERA America organization support. By such initiative, Bombeck was heavily criticized by conservative figures and some USA stores reacted, disposing her books. In 1980, the Amendment implementation became void, without enough States supporting it, and Bombeck expressed much displeasure by this turn of events. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution intended to guarantee equal rights under the law for Americans regardless of sex. ...

Great Popularity (1980s)

By 1985, Erma Bombeck's three weekly columns were being published by 900 newspapers of USA and Canada and collected into many best sellers. Also, she was recognized by her two Good Morning America weekly slots. Bombeck belonged to the American Academy of Humor Columnists, with other famous personalities. During the 1980s, her regular wages ranged from $500,000 to a million dollars.

Death

Erma Bombeck was diagnosed with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney disease. In 1996, she was brought into a San Francisco hospital, California, for a kidney transplant which was performed on April 3 . However, she suffered terminal complications from the procedure, passing away on April 22. Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a progressive, genetic disorder of the kidneys. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... San Francisco redirects here. ... is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Her remains are interred in the Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio, under a big rock which was brought out of the Phoenix desert. Erma Bombeck's last syndication corporation had been the Universal Press Syndicate. Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum in Dayton, Ohio, is one of the nations oldest garden cemeteries. ... Universal Press Syndicate, an Andrews McMeel Universal company, provides syndication for a number of lifestyle and opinion columns, comics, and various other content. ...

Books

• At Wit's End, Doubleday, 1967.
• Just Wait Until You Have Children of Your Own, Doubleday, 1971. Written with Bil Keane.
• I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression, Doubleday, 1974.
• The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank, McGraw-Hill, 1976.
• Aunt Erma's Cope Book, McGraw-Hill.
• If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?, McGraw-Hill, 1978.
• Aunt Erma's Cope Book, McGraw-Hill, 1979.
• Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession, 1983.
• Family - The Ties that Bind... and Gag!, 1987.
• I Want to Grow Hair, I Want to Grow Up, I Want to Go to Boise: Children Surviving Cancer, 1989. American Cancer Society's Medal of Honor in 1990. Its earning was distributed for divers health organizations.
• When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time to Go Home, 1991.
• A Marriage Made in Heaven or Too Tired for an Affair, 1993.
• All I Know About Animal Behavior I Learned in Loehmann's Dressing Room, 1995.
• Forever, Erma: Best-Loved Writing From America's Favorite Humorist

Bil Keane (1922- ) is an American cartoonist best known for his work on the long-running strip The Family Circus, which began its run in 1960 and is still going strong. ... Loehmanns is an American discount department store chain. ...

Quotes

• "Insanity is hereditary. You can catch it from your kids."
• "My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first one being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint."
• "There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child."
• "If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead."
• "The only reason I would take up jogging is so I could hear heavy breathing again."
• "Laughter rises out of tragedy, when you need it the most, and rewards you for your courage."
• "Dreams have only one owner at a time. That's why dreamers are lonely."
• "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'"
• "In general, my children refused to eat anything that hadn't danced on TV."
• "When humor goes, there goes civilization."
• "Seize the moment. Think of all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart."

Sources

• Erma in Bomburbia. Time Magazine cover story. (1984)
• Full Biography of Dayton University
• Encarta Encyclopedia

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Erma Bombeck

• Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
• Erma Bombeck Online Museum
• Erma Bombeck Writing Competition
• Erma Bombeck at Find A Grave
• Erma Bombeck "If I had my life to live over"