Jess Stearn Explained

Jess Stearn
Birth Date:26 April 1914
Birth Place:Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Death Place:Malibu, California, U.S.
Education:Syracuse University
Occupation:Author, journalist

Jess Stearn (April 26, 1914 – March 27, 2002) was an American journalist and author of more than thirty books, nine of which were bestsellers.

Early life

Stearn was born in Syracuse, New York, to David Stearn, a rabbi. He graduated from Syracuse University.

Career

Stearn became a journalist for the New York Daily News and later an associate editor for Newsweek.[1] He credited his journalistic training with helping him become a successful author.[2]

Stearn specialized in books of sensationalist speculative non-fiction. His early work focused on outsiders and marginalized individuals such as prostitutes, drug addicts, and gay men (The Sixth Man).[3] [4] His later work focused on spirituality, the occult, and psychic phenomena. His most popular works were two biographies on the American psychic Edgar Cayce;[5] [6] Stearn was a conference speaker for the Association for Research and Enlightenment and a proponent of Cayce's theories.[7]

Stearn might have been one of the forerunners of bringing Eastern thought into the Western world through his best-selling 1965 book, Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation.[8]

Personal life

Stearn married twice and had two children, Martha and Fred. He had a longtime close friendship with actress and radio/television personality Arlene Francis. That may have had a connection to the first mention of his name in a nationally syndicated newspaper column. A reference to his latest book appeared in the Voice of Broadway column written by Francis' television colleague Dorothy Kilgallen. Either Kilgallen or her editor at the New York Journal American placed a plug for Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation in that paper's September 15, 1965, edition immediately after an item about an upcoming Johnnie Ray concert in Las Vegas.[9] Ten years later, Francis discussed one of her recurring dreams with Stearn for a book he was writing that included a section on dreams.[10] [11] Stearn and Francis shared interests in yoga and weightlifting.[12]

Death

Stearn died of congestive heart failure on March 27, 2002, in his Malibu, California, home. He chose not to have a funeral because of his belief in reincarnation.[13] [14]

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. News: Jess Stearn, 87; Wrote Best Sellers on the Occult. April 2, 2002. New York Times.
  2. News: Psychic encounter changed writer's path. Joy. Ufford. September 12, 1990. The Jackson Hole Guide (Jackson, Wyoming). December 12, 2021. 3 Valley. Newspapers.com.
  3. News: Books of the Day: About One Man in Six, Perhaps. Thorpe. Menn. March 17, 1961. The Kansas City Star. December 12, 2021. 12D. Newspapers.com.
  4. News: Books in Brief: The Sixth Man. May 28, 1961. The Honolulu Advertiser. December 12, 2021. 10 TV Weekly. Newspapers.com.
  5. News: A Non-Skeptical Look at Man Labeled 'Our Greatest Mystic'. Don. Keown. January 21, 1967. Daily Independent Journal (San Rafael, California). December 12, 2021. M15. Newspapers.com.
  6. News: Bay Area Best Sellers. March 5, 1967. San Francisco Examiner. December 12, 2021. 39 This World. Newspapers.com.
  7. Web site: Jess Stearn. Sutphen, Dick.
  8. News: Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation advertisement. October 17, 1965. Chicago Tribune. December 12, 2021. 9 Books Today. Newspapers.com.
  9. Kilgallen, Dorothy. "Joan Baez in Serious Trouble Over Tax Protest." New York Journal American September 15, 1965, pg. 25
  10. Book: Stearn, Jess. A Matter of Immortality: Dramatic Evidence of Survival. 1976. Atheneum Publishers. 978-0-689-10721-4. 299–300.
  11. Book: Francis, Arlene. Arlene Francis: A Memoir. 1978. Simon & Schuster. 978-0-671-22808-8. 198–199.
  12. Book: Francis, Arlene. Arlene Francis: A Memoir. 1978. Simon & Schuster. 978-0-671-22808-8. 170–174.
  13. Web site: The Astrologers' Memorial Web Page. Solstice Point. June 28, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050427062310/http://www.solsticepoint.com/astrologersmemorial/whowas2.html. April 27, 2005.
  14. News: Obituary. Oliver. Myrna. Los Angeles Times. April 1, 2002. 9.
  15. Web site: The Grapevine. Kirkus Reviews. January 15, 2015.

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