Reece on Tractor

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LIFE OF

Byron Herbert Reece

Byron Herbert Reece, known as “Hub” to friends and family, was a poet and novelist in the mid-20th century. For a young man who learned to read from the King James Bible, and who lived in an extremely rural area, he wrote beautiful lyrical and ballad poetry that reflected his agrarian, rural lifestyle. He received critical acclaim and published 5 poetry collections and 2 novels.

The Reece Family

Reece’s Early Years

Reece was born in Union County near Blood Mountain on September 14, 1917, to Emma and Juan Reece. He entered a family that had a long connection to the rural mountain world. The Reeces had lived in the area since the early 1800s and were firmly rooted in the mountain culture. The young Reece, nicknamed “Hub,” showed his talents early. By the first grade he had read the Bible and John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress (1678), texts that would influence his writing. By the age of fifteen, he was publishing poems in the local Blairsville newspaper.

Byron Herbert Reece in California

Reece’s College & Career Years

After high school, Reece attended nearby Young Harris College, a small, private two-year school, where he found a coterie of friends who encouraged his poetic development.

Reece’s first try at college was short-lived because he needed to devote his time to farming. After working on the family farm for three years, he was able to return with a scholarship and permission to alternate quarters between farm work and schoolwork. Despite these accommodations, he never finished his two-year degree.

Credit - New Georgia Encyclopedia

Of his time at Young Harris College…”Bryon Reece is an oddish sort of boy, who is little seen on campus because of his timidity and his yearn for study.”

Enotah Echoes, October 4, 1938. Young Harris College Special Collections

A Trip out West

After publication of “Better a Dinner of Herbs” he was invited to be “Poet in Residence” at University of California Los Angeles. Reece made three trips to California, once to lecture at UCLA and with two Guggenheim Foundation grants for writers and artists. He enjoyed the concerts and some of the opportunities afforded him, but eventually found his productivity diminished. He wrote to Pratt Dickson in July 1957 “I have done nothing on my novel beyond a little character sketching since I’ve been here. This is not my climate really. I think I’ll have to get back on the ground, North Georgia and vicinity, before I can do much with the novel.” The trips helped his financial situation, but not his productivity.

Most of Reece’s mountain friends knew nothing of his recognition…When he handed” the mechanic, a long time friend of his, the endorsed check on a New York bank, his friend asked, “What’s this for?” When he responded it was a royalty check on a book, the mechanic asked, “Did you make a book?

Raymond Cook in Mountain Singer, Cherokee Publishing, Atlanta, Ga. 1980

A Stay at Battey Hospital

By late 1953 the toll of farming, teaching, and writing led to his weakening health. He hinted at dizziness and weakness in letters to friends, but was determined to finish the winter term at Young Harris College. Tuberculosis was found in the upper portion of his left lung, and in February, 1954 he entered the state tuberculosis sanatorium in Rome, GA. He wrote to his friends the Greears, “This place is very difficult to take. I’m about as unhappy here as I have ever been in my life.” 

He left Battey in early May without permission of his doctors. He promised to try to continue the medications and to rest, but that he would rather die than go back.

View a letter written by Reece during his stay at Battey Hospital by clicking the button below.

Reece’s Later Years & Legacy

In the later years of his life, Byron Herbert Reece, faced personal and professional struggles despite his literary success. Reece continued to publish poetry and novels rooted in the rural life and landscapes of his youth. However, he was burdened by declining health due to tuberculosis and the heavy responsibilities of caring for his family farm. By 1958, Reece tragically took his own life. His legacy endures through his lyrical, nature-inspired works that continue to resonate with readers, reflecting both the beauty and hardships of mountain life.

Reece Receiving Award

Reece's Life Timeline

  • Reece’s birth in log house where Vogel State Park is now located.

    September 14, 1917

  • The Reece family moves one mile north to Lance family home place.

    February 1921

  • He enters Union County High School, nine miles from his home.

    1931

  • Enters Young Harris College for first time.

    Fall of 1935

  • Father Juan and mother Emma contract Tuberculosis.

    1936

  • “Return to Remembrance,” first poem to be published other than in local newspaper.

    June 1937

  • Some 31 poems published in poetry journals & national magazines.

    By end of 1938

  • Returns to Young Harris College; begins participation in the Quill Club, where he is the shining star.

    Fall of 1938

  • Begins acquaintance with Ralph McGill, editorialist and publisher of the Atlanta Constitution newspaper.

    Late in 1939

  • Departs YHC, though not as a graduate.

    Spring of 1940

  • Taught in Zion Elementary School in Dooly District of Union County, a job he did not like.

    1940-42

  • ‘Lest the Lonesome Bird” published in the Prairie Schooner; Reece discovered by Jesse Stuart, well-known Kentucky writer, who recommends him to E. P. Dutton Publishers.

    1943

  • Publication of first volume of poetry, Ballad of the Bones and Other Poems, by E. P. Dutton.

    1945

  • Professor W.L. Dance, Reece’s Quill Club mentor, committed suicide.

    January 1946

  • Received “The American Weave Publication Award” for Remembrance of Moab.

    1949

  • Published second book of poetry, Bow Down in Jericho, nominated for the Pulitzer Prize; also published his first novel, Better a Dinner of Herbs.

    1950

  • Poet-in-Residence at UCLA.

    Summer of 1950

  • Hub and others build a new white frame house for the Family, located next to the old residence.

    1950 or 1951

  • A Song of Joy and Other Poems published by Dutton; Reece awarded Guggenheim Fellowship.

    1952

  • Now a Teacher and Poet-in-Residence at Young Harris College; becomes ill with Tuberculosis.

    Fall of 1953

  • Enters Battey Hospital in Rome, but walks out in May

    February of 1954

  • Emma Reece dies of T.B., a crushing blow to Reece.

    August 30, 1954

  • Dutton publishes fourth volume of poetry, The Season of Flesh, and Reece’s second novel, The Hawk and the Sun.

    1955

  • Taught at Emory University during first quarter; began teaching again at YHC during summer session; won the last of several Literary Achievement Awards in Poetry.

    1956

  • Awarded another Guggenheim; illness begins to take its toll; resumes teaching at YHC in the fall.

    1957

  • Reece commits suicide by shooting himself, around 10:30 p.m.--in the same YHC dormitory room in which Professor Dance had taken his life. Mozart‘s “Piano Sonata in D” was playing on his phonograph.

    June 3, 1958

The information provided comes from Dr. Raymond Cook’s book, Mountain Singer: The Life and the Legacy of Byron Herbert Reece

Reece in Print

The Reece Society keeps Reece’s books available and in print. In addition, biographies and selected letters have been published. Copies may be purchased at the Reece Farm and Heritage Center gift shop, and at the Union County Historical Society located in Blairsville’s Historic Courthouse. If neither venue is accessible, email us at the reecesociety@gmail.com.

Poetry:

  • Ballad of the Bones - Herbert Reece

  • Bow Down in Jericho - Byron Herbert Reece

  • Song of Joy and Other Poems - Byron Herbert Reece

  • The Season of Flesh - Byron Herbert Reece

Novels:

  • Better a Dinner of Herbs - Byron Herbert Reece

  • Hawk and the Sun - Byron Herbert Reece

  • Biographies and Collections:

  • Mountain Singer - Raymond C. Cook

  • Faithfully Yours: The Letters of Byron Herbert Reece - Raymond C. Cook and Alan Jackson

How can you support the Reece Society?

Support the preservation of Byron Herbert Reece’s legacy — donate today to help us keep the past alive for future generations! To donate or find out more information about becoming a Reece Society member, click the button below to fill out our contact form.