Dorothy Clarke Wilson Leaves a Rich Legacy

Dorothy Clarke Wilson, a prolific author and playwright, passed away in 2003 at 99 years of age. The daughter of a reverent, Dorothy was born in 1904. She graduated from Bates College and married the Reverend Elwood Wilson, who passed away in 1992. Dorothy and Elwin were married for 66 years, a remarkable feat, even by today’s standards.

Dorothy Clarke Wilson was more than an author, playwright and novelist. She was also a biographer, a philanthropist, and a peace activist. In her later years, Dorothy Clarke Wilson was a promoter and supporter of the Vellore Christian Medical College, the Toronto United Methodist Church and the Wilson Center. She was also known for her religious-based novels, based on biblical characters. Upon her death, Dr. Louis Knowles, the president of the Vellore-based Christian Medical College, stated, “Ms. Wilson’s many books focus on how God works for good through the lives of his servants.”

Condolences upon her death carried the same message of gratitude, dignity, and honor, such as, “… we share with them their sorrow and sense of loss on learning of her death, as well as a feeling of deep gratitude to God for her life, for who she was, what she stood for and did, for her deep faith, for the blessing she, and the books she wrote, were to so many thousands of persons, around the world.”

Fans of religious movie epics such as The Ten Commandments don’t realize that that movie was based on one of her books, published in 1949 and called Moses – Prince of Egypt. Dorothy Clarke Wilson was not only known for her religious novels, but for her biographies, many of them focusing on individuals who had some association with or who had been trained by the Christian Medical College, including Dr. Ida S. Scudder, Dr. Mary Varghese, Dr. Paul Brand, and Victor Rambo. Such books are available today, and while published decades ago, hold as much depth of meaning, philanthropy, and courageous self-sacrifice as that expressed and lived by Ms. Wilson herself. Titles such as “Dr. Ida, Passing on the Torch of Life,” or “Ten Fingers for God,” are as well read today by fans of Dorothy Clarke Wilson as they were decades ago.

A majority of Wilson’s books are based on biblical characters. She brings to life the sights, sounds and smells of ancient Egypt, the life of Jesus, and the times of Moses, Jezebel, and the apostle James, just to name a few. Her biographies offer in-depth insight into the lives of the wives of many famous political figures including Martha Washington, Dolly Madison, and Teddy Roosevelt’s two wives.

Dorothy Clarke Wilson has a way of bringing the past to life, offering a rich tapestry of history, humor, and personality that enthralls readers of all ages and across all demographics. Choose any one of Dorothy Clarke Wilson’s several dozen published works to read, and readers are guaranteed to be swept into different times, different places, and meet people who truly changed their world.

write by Kieran