Lew Sarett

Lew Sarett, "American's foremost woodsman-poet," appreared in Pierce Memorial Chapel on March 4, 1944, speaking against cynicism in modern literature. Instead, he promoted the virtues of fishing, gardening, hunting, home, love and loyalty, with emphasis on beauty and nature. Aside from the insistence of modern despair, Sarett stated that once a person has found his place in the grand struggle, he will discover that "...it's a great life if you don't weaken." His theme was divided into three sections: 1) nature and animals 2) episodes in French-Canadian dialect 3) and scenes from a north Wisconsin farm home. Attendees were struck by his use vivid use of language, dramatic power and sense of humor. Raised in Lake Superior Country, he came to Chicago where he worked as a newsboy store clerk; moving North, he worked as a life guard, woodcrafter, naturalist and U.S. Ranger in the Rocky Mountains. He was equally respected by the Authors' Club of London, of which he was a member, and the lumberjacks and Indians of the Canadian Northwest, who adopted him with the nickname, "Lone Caribou." Following his adventurous term among the outdoors, Sarett became an instructor at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University.