Mary+Higgins+Clark

= Mary Higgins Clark =



            Mary Higgins Clark is one of America's best selling suspense writers. Born and raised inNew York, Clark is of Irish descent. She considers her heritage an important influence on her writing. Mary's father died when she was ten, and and her mother struggled to bring up Mary and two brothers. After graduating from high school, Mary went to secretarial school to get a job and help her mother with family finances. After working for three years in an advertising firm, she became a stewardess on international airplane flights and saw the world. After a year of traveling she married neighbor Warren Clark, a man she had known since she was sixteen years old. Soon after her marriage, Clark began writing short stories. She sold her first short story to Extension Magazine in 1956 for $100, after six years and forty rejection slips. In 1964, Clark's husband died of a heart attack, leaving her and five children alone. She then went to work writing radio scripts. In addition, decided to write books. Her first book was a biographical novel about the life of George Washington, and was not a success. Next, she decided to write a suspense novel, "Where Are the Children?", which became a national bestseller and marked a turning point in her life and career. After years helping her family survive, Clark decided to take the time to do the things she always wanted to do. In 1974, she entered Fordham University at Lincoln Center and graduated summa cum laude in 1979 with a B.A. in Philosophy. In May 1988, Mary Higins Clark returned to her alma mater, even as commencement speaker. She is a trustee of Fordham University and a member of the Board of Regents at St. Peter's College. She is an active member of the Literacy Volunteers. M.H. Clark has nine honorary doctorates and many other awards. Mary has received "The Woman of Achievement", an award from the Federation of Woman's Clubs in New Jersey, the 1992 "Irish Woman of the Year" award from the Irish-American Heritage and Cultural Week Committee of the Board of Education of the City of New York, the 1993 Gold Medal of Honor from the American-Irish Historical Society and in 1994, the Spirit of Achievement Award from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and the National Arts Club inaugural Gold Medal in Education. She is quite the amazing woman, a motivation to all suspense writers everywhere! ===   ===