Kermit Hunter
Biographical Information
Kermit Houston Hunter was born in McDowell County, WV, October 2, 1910. He attended Ohio State University, graduating in 1931. Later he would study at the Juilliard School of Music. He held a variety of jobs during the 1930s, including working for two newspapers, as secretary for two chambers of commerce, as business manager for a professional baseball team, and organist and choir director for a Methodist church. Joining the army in 1940, Hunter served five years, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He became assistant chief of staff of the Caribbean Defense Command and was awarded the Legion of Merit. Following World War II, Hunter served for two years (1945-47) as the first business manager of the North Carolina Symphony Society.Kermit Hunter enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1947 to pursue graduate work under Samuel Seldon, then-chair of the Department of Dramatic Art and director of the Carolina Playmakers. Three of Hunter's plays were produced by the Carolina Playmakers. In 1948, the Cherokee Historical Association began seeking an author to write a play about the history of the Cherokee, a play that would be staged at the Mountainside Theater then under construction in Cherokee, NC. Selden recommended Hunter to the group, and the young playwright won the commission. Hunter completed the play, Unto These Hills, in early 1949 and offered it as his M.A. thesis. The same year, the North Carolina legislature appropriated $35,000 for the production of Unto These Hills. The Mountainside Theater opened the play on July 1, 1950. Hunter remained at the University of North Carolina as an English instructor while working to complete a Ph.D. During this time, he wrote traditional drama and fiction, as well as more of the outdoor dramas that would make him famous. He completed the Ph.D. in 1955.
After completing his Ph.D., Hunter accepted a position as professor of drama at Hollins College in Virginia, where he would remain until 1964. He left Hollins in 1964 to become first dean of the Meadows School of Arts, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX. He stepped down as dean in 1976, though he remained at Southern Methodist as a writer-in-residence until 1978. From 1978-93, Hunter held the position of senior lecturer at University of Texas at Arlington. Hunter Kermit died on April 11, 2001 in Dallas TX.
Critical Responses
Kermit Hunter authored more than 40 historical dramas. He was an early practitioner of site-specific drama, writing plays to be staged in a given location. His best known work is Unto These Hills, performed each summer at Cherokee, NC. Unto These Hills is the tragic and triumphant story of the Cherokee, including their removal from North Carolina to Oklahoma. "The compelling story opens with the arrival of the Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto in 1540, and builds to a stirring climax with the cruel removal of all but a remnant of Cherokee on the infamous "Trail of Tears." This powerful drama recreates the inspiration of the great Sequoyah, the wise leadership of Junaluska, and the heartbreaking sacrifice of Tsali, who gave his life so a handful of people might remain on the land of their heritage. Cherokee descendants, whose ancestors were forcefully driven out of the mountains and marched 1,200 miles to Oklahoma, play important roles in the drama and in the many dances, highlighted by the colorful and world-famous Eagle Dance" (www.untothesehills.com). It is estimated that 14 million people have seen Unto These Hills since its opening in 1950.
In recognition for his contributions to American drama, both Emory and Henry College and Oklahoma Christian College awarded Kermit Hunter honorary doctorates. Other of Hunter's outdoor dramas continue to be performed regularly, including Horn in the West (Boone, NC) and Honey in the Rock (Beckley, WV).
Works Published
Partial listing only available.
- Walk Toward the Sunset
- Voice in the Wind
- The Third Frontier
- The Home Road
- Horn in the West
- Forever This Land
- The Eleventh Hour
- Chucky Jack
- Honey in the Rock
- Unto These Hills
- Beyond the Sundown
- Brighthope
- The Liberty Tree
- Stars in My Crown
- Dust on Her Petticoats
- Next Day in the Morning
Selected Bibliography
Hayes, Raymond Carroll. A Study of Hero-Building and Myth-Making in Three of Kermit Hunter's Outdoor Dramas. Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 1982.
McNair, Sylvia. The Drama of History: Lighting Up Summer Nights. American Express Pub; 1979.
Rogers, Lawrence B. The Influence of Kermit Hunter on American Outdoor Drama. East Tennessee State University, 1960.
Stephens, George Myers. The Beginnings of the Historical Drama "Unto These Hills." North Carolina Historical Review, April 1951. 28(2), 212-218.
Author Website
none available