My favorite book from childhood is Time at the Top written in 1963 by Edward Ormondroyd. It’s the adventure story of a girl who journeys back in time from 1960 to 1881, courtesy of the old, lumbering elevator in the apartment building where she lives with her widowed father.
I read and re-read this book countless times as a kid. I don’t even remember when or how I found it, but most likely it was in the library of John W. Turner Elementary School, near Chautauqua, New York. Mrs. Bergholz, the kind librarian with the bright blue eyes, would have checked it out for me, maybe smiling at all the times I’d written my name on the lined sign-out card as she filed it away.
Years passed, and from time to time I wondered about my favorite book. It went out of print for a while, and I despaired of ever getting a copy of my own, but thanks to Purple House Press, I was able to obtain one when they re-released it. I also managed to find a used copy of the sequel, All in Good Time, (which I had not read) from a used bookseller. Ironically, that book came from the Rochester Public Library—not too far from where I had first discovered Time at the Top.
Fast forward to tonight, when for some reason, I did a Google search of Edward Ormondroyd. I was curious. What had happened to him? Was he still living? Had he continued writing?
What I found was a 2011 interview on author Marc T Nobleman’s blog—he is apparently also a fan of Mr. Ormondroyd’s from his own childhood—and, like me, wondered why the author had very little to no online presence (short answer: “I’m computer illiterate”)
The interview is ten years old, but apparently, Edward Ormondroyd is still living (age 95), although he’s moved to California to be near his family. He stopped writing in the 1970s when he said “the gift of invention had left me” and took a job as Head of Technical Services in the Finger Lakes Library System of New York State. Yes, Mr. Ormondroyd lived only a couple of hours’ driving time from me when I first discovered his book in my school library.
When Mr. Nobleman asked Mr. Ormondroyd how he wanted people to remember him he replied:
You know, I hadn’t even thought about this until you asked. On reflection, I’ll take a cue from Marianne Moore. As a writer, I’d like to be remembered as a maker of imaginary worlds with real characters in them.
What a wonderful way to leave a piece of your soul in the world!
The Ithaca newspaper article on the Ormondroyds’ California move describes a life of contentment and purpose in their hometown of Trumansburg, NY. A humble and down-to-earth couple, they’ve spent many years serving the community they love. It seemed like a life well-lived.
Here is a video of a school visit Mr. Nobleman did in Mr. Ormondroyd’s local elementary school in Trumansburg, with the author of David and the Phoenix there to answer the children’s questions. It’s heart-warming 🙂
And for one last bit of irony—remember the publisher that re-released his book? Purple House Press is located in Cynthiana, Kentucky—about an hour’s drive from where I live now.
How small and interconnected the world can be!
Loved learning about this author who was such an influence on you as a child! (Also, I’ve added this to a list of books to find or buy for my daughter, who is ten.) Thanks, Karen!
Oh – she is the perfect age for it! I hope she likes the story 🙂