Arthur Honeyman
Arthur Honeyman | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 10, 1940 Sharon, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | December 8, 2008 (aged 68) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, activist |
Arthur Honeyman (May 10, 1940 – December 8, 2008), also known as Art Honeyman, was an American poet, author, and disability rights activist.[1][2][3] His book Sam and his Cart was adapted into a movie in 1981.[4] Honeyman is one of the main characters in the 2007 film Music Within.[5][better source needed]
Early life
Honeyman was born to Elizabeth and Charles Honeyman, and was raised with three siblings in Sharon, Massachusetts. Because he had cerebral palsy Honeyman was not allowed to attend a public school. His parents kept requesting education for their son, and beginning in 1947 he was provided with a tutor for homeschooling. From 1952 until his high school graduation in 1959, Honeyman attended Massachusetts Hospital School, a school for disabled students.[6]
His mother developed schizophrenia and was committed to a care facility. Honeyman's father moved with his children to Reno, Nevada, and then to Portland, Oregon.[6]
Career
Wheelchair user Honeyman worked in house-to-house selling from age 19 for four years. People behaved rudely, complained, or even called the police.[6]
He had difficulties being accepted by a college as an undergraduate.[3][6]
In the 1960s, Honeyman experienced communal living in an urban commune and as a co-owner of a communal farm in Oregon. He participated in anti-Vietnam War and civil rights activism. He also burned his draft card, and was arrested three times as protester against the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant in Rainier, Oregon. As a protest action against the lack of wheelchair access on busses, he pushed his wheelchair from Portland to Salem.[6][1]
Honeyman achieved a Bachelor of Science degree in History in 1965, and a Master's degree in Literature from Portland State University in 1974.[3][6]
At the university, Honeyman met disability rights advocate Richard Pimentel, who often describes a situation in a pancake house where Honeyman was denied services as a key moment for his own activism.[7] Honeyman's positive attitude inspired Pimentel.[8]
At age 20, Honeyman had begun writing. Beginning in 1974, he published multiple poems and essays. His first book was the children's story Sam and his Cart, published in 1977: Sam drives in a wheelchair-like cart and sells light bulbs from door to door for living. He is confronted with tragic reactions by others.[6]
From 1975 to 1978 Art Honeyman worked as a teaching aide at Adams High School (Portland, Oregon), from 1979 as a research analyst for the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, serving on the Commission for the Handicapped board in 1983 and 1984.[6] He became director of Oregon's Handicap Research Project.[citation needed]
Art Honeyman campaigned for a school board seat in Portland, and twice on a "Spastic Power" platform for the Oregon Legislative Assembly.[6]
A variety of publications followed until 2005. Honeyman also wrote manuscripts of his autobiography from about 2005 to 2008. They remain unfinished. He died in December 2008.[6]
Film adaptations
The movie Sam and his Cart, based on Honeyman's first book, was published in 1981.[4] The film won an American Film Festival Award.[citation needed]
In 2007, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released the full-length motion picture Music Within of Richard Pimentel's life story including his friendship with Arthur Honeyman, starring Michael Sheen as Art.[3][5][7]
Death
Honeyman died on December 8, 2008 in Seattle, Washington, while visiting friends.[9]
Publications
Honeyman published the following:[6][10]
Wheel Press publications (books), 1980-1987
- Sam and His Cart, 1977 - 1985 (3 editions)
- The Claws and the Horns, 1981
- Sam and His Bright Idea: A Christmas Sequel for Young People Everywhere, 1985 (2 editions)
- Epic: poetry, 1982
- Vernal Verse, 1987
- Brownie and His Friend, Sam: Another Dog and Boy Story, 1986
- Journey: essays, 1982
- Mr. Johnson Speaks Out On: The Follies of Sexism in the Civilized World, 1986
- Los manos del poet: poems = the hands of the poet, 1984
- Umbly Yours: random poems & cover design, 1992
- Coffee Me a Cup of Fix: Poems for Your Coffee Table
Writings, 1974-2005
- Poems and essays for a variety of different publications
Autobiography manuscripts, circa 2005-2008
- Art for Arts Sake: An Autobiography of a Spastic.
References
- ^ a b OregonLive.com (7 July 2007). Art Honeyman Hits the Streets. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ OregonLive.com (9 December 2008). Art Honeyman: 1940 - 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d Mental Health Association of Portland (10 December 2008). In Memorium: Art Honeyman. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ a b Sam and his Cart - YouTube (1981). Sam and his Cart. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
- ^ a b IMDb. Music Within (2007). Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Portland State University Library Special Collections & University Archives: Arthur Honeyman Papers, 1974-2008. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ a b Portland State Magazine, Lisa Loving (19 May 2008). Pushing for Fairness. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities (December 2007 & January 2008). Informing Indiana About Disability Issues (PDF). Volume 20. Number 11/12. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ Verzemnieks, Inara (December 9, 2008). "Art Honeyman: 1940–2008". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ WorldCat: Arthur Honeyman. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
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