Ring Lardner:
Mar. 6, 1885--Sept. 25, 1933

On this day in 1885, short story writer and sports journalist Ring Lardner was born.  Though he never wrote a novel, Lardner was considered one of the finest short story writers of his time, and his sports writing set a standard for the genre.  He was also the father of four sons; two were killed in conflicts, one fighting in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War and the other in World War II.  Another son, Ring Lardner, Jr., was an award-winning screenwriter and member of the Hollywood 10 who was sentenced to a year in prison for refusing to answer questions before HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee), and subsequently blacklisted.  Lardner, Jr. won one Academy Award for Woman of the Year before he was blacklisted and one for Mash, after the blacklist.