B. Jo Kinnick - Poet, Author, Teacher

B. Jo Kinnick - Poet, Author, Teacher

Beulah J. (B. Jo) (Wichard) Kinnick was born in Maxwell, Story County, Iowa, to Clayton and Margaret (Tufts) Wickard in 1908. William B. KInnick, Jr. was born in 1907, in Adel, Dallas County, Iowa, to Frank Butler and Mabel (Vaughn) Kinnick. William and Beulah were married 24 Jun 1936.

For many years, B. Jo was an English teacher at Oakland  High School in Oakland, California. Her award-winning poems were published in newspapers and magazines (see a list in the obit, below). She published several books, also listed, below, and are still available from AbeBooks.com, Amazon. com among other sources.

B. Jo passed away in 2003, at age 95. William, her husband, preceded her in 1974.

From the Oakland Tribune - Tuesday October 14, 2003

B Jo Kinnick
BEULAH "B. JO." KINNICK 95, of Oconomowoc, formerly of Piedmont, CA, passed away October 8, 2003 at Waukesha Springs Health Center. Born April 28, 1908 in Maxwell, IA to the union of Clayton Wickard and Margaret Tufts. She was an English teacher at Oakland High School in Oakland, CA. Her award-winning poems have been published in numerous newspapers and magazines including "The Oakland Tribune", "The Saturday Evening Post", "English Journal" and "The Saturday Review". Her poetry collections include "Time is the Stream", "Miss Honky. The Black Flamingo and The Blue Guitar", "Crying for Guyana" and "To Say That Tigers". She co-authored an anthology of literature for high school students, "Adventures in American Literature" published by Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich as well as "Let Us Be Men" and "I Have A Dream", published by Addison-Wesley. She was a former President of the Central California Teachers of English and of the Diablo Valley branch of the National League of American Pen Women. She was a member of the Poetry Society of America, the Ina Coolbrith Circle, Browning Society of San Francisco, Chaparral Poets, California State Poetry Society and Plymouth Congregational Church of Oakland, CA.
B. Jo. is survived by her daughter, Marty Kinnick of Oconomowoc, sons, Paul (Liza) Kinnick of Truckee, CA and Stephen (Patty) Hackney of Chico, CA, sister, Myrle Fisher of Raleigh, NC and five grandchildren, Brett, Amanda, Troy, Lance and Max. She is preceded in death by her husband, William Kinnick, one son, one brother and one sister. Graveside services 2 p.m., Saturday, October 18, 2003 at Maxwell Cemetery, Maxwell, IA. Rev. Donald Burket officiating. Burial at Maxwell Cemetery in Maxwell, IA. In lieu of flowers, donations to Boys and Girls Clubs of Oakland, P.O. Box 23203, Oakland, CA 94623 or American Cancer Society, preferred.
Source: http://ohsmemorial.com/OHS/articles/99-kinnick.htm

Oakland Tribune, February 11, 1974 (via East Bay Genealogical Society)

Berkley Hill Chapel, KINNICK, William Butler, Jr., in Oakland, February 9, 1974, beloved husband of B. Jo Kinnick; loving father of Martha Jo Kinnick, Paul Clayton Kinnick and the late Karl William Kinnick and a foster son, Stephen Michael Hockney; brother of Louise Wilson of Citrus Heights and John B. Kinnick of Berkley; uncle of Nile Kinnick; also survived by many nieces and cousins. A native of Adel, Iowa; aged 66 years. A member of Beta Theta Phi Fraternity. Private funeral services were held Saturday. Memorial contributions to the Fred Finch Youth Center, 3800 Coolidge Ave., Oakland, or to Plymouth Church, 777 Oakland Ave., will be deeply appreciated.


Families are forever!  ;-)