Charles Ray Willeford

Charles Willeford wrote everything from poetry to crime fiction to literary criticism throughout the course of his impressively long and diverse career. He was born as Charles Ray Willeford III on January 2, 1919 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Willeford's parents both died of tuberculosis when he was a little boy and he subsequently lived either with his grandmother or at boarding schools.

Charles became a hobo in his early teens. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps at age sixteen and was stationed in the Philippines. Willeford served as a tank commander with the 10th Armored Division in Europe during World War II. He won several medals for his military service: the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre. Charles retired from the army as a Master Sergeant.

Willeford's first novel High Priest of California was published in 1953. He went on to win the Mark Twain Award. Willeford attended both Palm Beach Junior College and the University of Miami. He taught a course in humanities at the University of Miami and was an associate professor who taught classes in both philosophy and English at Miami Dade Junior College. Charles was married three times and was an associate editor for Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Willeford died of a heart attack at age 69 on March 27, 1988