Laurie York Erskine

Laurie York Erskine (23 June 1894 – 30 November 1976) was a popular boys adventure author, educator, and co-founder of the Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, United States.

Erskine was born in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, to actors Wallace Erskine and Ada Margery Bonney Erskine. The family travelled to the United States in 1901, where both parents appeared in silent films.

In 1916 Laurie Erskine was commissioned in the Royal Flying Corps, where he served in France. Following his demobilisation, Erskine was an editorial writer with the Detroit News from 1921 to 1922, until he began writing stories for boys in 1921. His most famous work was a series of books featuring Renfrew of the Royal Mounted that later became a radio, film, and television series with Erskine himself narrating the radio show. Erskine also created and narrated the radio program "Adventure Stories".

Erskine was a staff writer with the Battle Creek, Michigan Enquirer newspaper. In 1925 he was one of the four organisers of the Solebury School for Boys in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

At the start of World War II, Erskine was commissioned in the Army of the United States Coast Artillery, eventually becoming a major in the 38th Anti-Aircraft Brigade from 1944 to 1945. He was awarded the Bronze Star and was discharged in 1946. During his Army service, Erskine wrote the texts for the United States Armed Forces Institute course for American citizenship. Erskine's writing subsided as he channeled his energy into developing the Solebury Method for Teaching Composition. His name lives on as a literary prize for students at Solebury School.