Peter Ferry, an author and teacher who inspired "decades of students in his English and writing classes at Lake Forest High School, a youthful crowd of many thousands that included such later famous people as actor Vince Vaughn and Dave Eggers," died September 17, the Chicago Tribune reported. He was 77. "I learned a lot from Dave even when he was a student: If you want to be a writer, you just write," Ferry once said. "I have long felt that I was compelled to write and so I did."
In a story in the high school's newspaper, Eggers observed: "He was a very erudite guy with a wry wit, and he understood the strange sense of humor my friends and I had. We became fanboys of Mr. Ferry, and he was our hero and mentor. And he and I stayed in touch for the next 35 years."
After earning a Master of Arts in English Literature from Northwestern University, Ferry wrote and edited textbooks at Rand McNally before spending nearly three decades as a high school teacher. He wrote about his travels for the Chicago Tribune, and his short stories appeared in journals and magazines, including McSweeney's, the Chicago Quarterly Review, StoryQuarterly, HyperText, and Catamaran.
His first novel, Travel Writing, was published in 2008. He said the book "took me seven years to write. This new one took me five years to write and then two arduous years to find a publisher."
Eggers noted that the second novel, Old Heart, "manages to weave together an astonishing array of themes and layers--the perils and freedoms of old age, the complexity of family ties, the liberation of travel, and finally, Ferry presents and proves the bold and needed idea that it's never too late to reopen the past to recast the present... a page-turning book of ideas that has the power to change lives."
Playwright, producer and author Roger Rapoport, who has produced a stage version of the book and is currently in production on a film version, said, "Adapting Peter's wonderful Old Heart for Detroit and Muskegon stages and a film next spring gave me a chance to discover how much he and Carolyn loved both the Netherlands and the Lake Michigan shore at Palisades Park. Unfailingly modest, Peter was a good collaborator who loved seeing his characters come to life. He was also a dedicated writer who spent two years figuring out the Old Heart ending. It was worth the wait."
CQR founder and editor Syed Haider described Ferry as "a man of conscience and conviction. His writing amazed, amused and informed of human condition and situation, passion breaks through the perfect art. Pete's writing was full insight into the human psyche, wisdom and emotional condor. He was a wise man, a good friend and mentor."