Buel Griffith Beems (1902 -- 1978) was born in Anamosa, Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa, where he became a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and the Harvard Law School. From 1927 to 1937, Beems practiced law in New York City. While in New York he published his first short stories in Harper's, Harper's Bazaar, The Midland, and Blast. He received the O. Henry Memorial Award in 1931 for his short story "Leaf Unfolding" and again in 1944 for "The Stagecoach." Beems returned to Iowa in 1938 to become president and general manager of the Metropolitan Supply Company in Cedar Rapids from 1945 to 1973. On November 14, 1950, he married Edna Erickson in Cedar Rapids. Beems continued to write and publish short stories in Mademoiselle, American Mercury, and Southern Review, receiving many awards for his writing. He died on December 24, 1978.