By Gail McCarthy
More than 65 years ago, Gloucester artist Virginia Lee Burton would hang out sketching the heavy machinery at the local public works yard, day after day, week after week and month after month.
Burton (1909-1968) was engrossed with her detailed study of the apparatus, which would become the focal point of her beloved children's book, "Katy and the Big Snow," first published in 1943. The narrative follows the life of a tireless tractor, used as a bulldozer in the summer and a snowplow in the winter — and Burton herself said the story was based on Gloucester's Highway Department.
This Saturday, the Cape Ann Symphony will unveil its musical retelling of the story it commissioned from local composer Robert Bradshaw.
"Katy and the Big Show" is only one of Burton's many success stories. Every book that she both wrote and illustrated remains in print, according to her publishing house, Houghton Mifflin.
Other popular books remembered by readers include "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" (1939), the Caldecott Medal-winner "The Little House" (1942), "Maybelle the Cable Car" (1952) and "Life Story" (1962).
Virginia Lee Burton's nephew, Ross Burton of Gloucester, spoke with fond memories of his aunt, who was sister to his father. He is among the millions of children who span four generations and are familiar with her work.
"I think they are adult books that children get to read," he said. "Her books are timeless. They fit any time and any place. We live in a time when every one of her books are relevant to us as adults. It's incredible when you think of it. They are about core values. There is a soul to it all."
Ross noted that his aunt was both a tremendous artist, and a woman of tremendous values and understanding.
"For example, 'Mike Mulligan' is about reinvention. 'The Little House' is about family values and 'Katy and the Big Snow' is about passion to contribute, to work, to put something into the community. Aunt Ginny is a person who had a real sense of being and belonging," he said.
Ross Burton described his aunt as a person with a buoyant personality and constant smile.
"I remember her like it was yesterday," he said. "Ginny had a quiet presence though she was a very strong person. She didn't have to say a lot, and when she did, people listened. She was always smiling and giving off good cheer no matter how things were for her. She had an uplifting quality with everything she came in contact with. That's what I remember. She was a gift to all who knew her, and anyone who knew her would smile. It was a contagious process."
For every book she wrote, Ross Burton said she researched the machinery in great detail.
"In the case of Katy, she knew every piece of the apparatus. She was a student of her content," he said. "Cape Ann was a source of everything she wrote. Every book had to do with Cape Ann in one way or the other."
Pam Burton, Ross' wife and project manager and chairwoman of the symphony's Katy Committee, said Saturday's multi-media musical event was created as a way to kick off the author and illustrator's 100th birthday year.
"We wanted to kick it off in her hometown of Gloucester," she said, noting that, in April there will be an exhibit of her work at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst.
"This event is bringing together the history of Cape Ann, our artists, our musicians and the stories about the magical geography of Gloucester," Pam Burton said. "For me, this was an opportunity to fulfill a commitment to family and family values. This was an opportunity for the Cape Ann Symphony to bring something wonderful to the families here and celebrate this wonderful place we live in. This event is for all ages, both children and adults."
In the Saturday concert, the world premiere of Bradshaw's work will musically share the tale of Katy, an intrepid tractor who wants to work hard but is frustrated that she cannot come out of the garage until there's a big enough blizzard and then she can save the day.
"It's the saving of a day of an animated machine who communicates how much joy there is in working hard and accomplishment," said Pam Burton.
Katy gets that chance when a snowstorm hits the city of Geoppolis, burying the houses up to their second-story windows, Katy begins to plow out the police, postmaster, telephone company, electric company, water department, doctor, hospital, fire department, airport, and, eventually clears all the streets. In her lifetime, the author revealed that Geoppolis was a fancifully rendering of Gloucester.
Pam Burton said the symphony wanted to create something that would live and bring joy to others in the future. To that end, a Web site was created with detailed information at www.katyandthebigsnow.info. The site reveals some of Burton and Katy's backgrounds.
Burton was the daughter of poet and musician Lena Dalkeith Yates and Alfred E. Burton, the first dean of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the fall of 1930, at age 21, she enrolled in a drawing class at the Boston Museum School with noted sculptor George Demetrios as her instructor. The two would marry, have two children, and settle in Gloucester's Folly Cove.
Rockport's Michael Costello, the newly retired director of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, will narrate the concert.
Serving as narrator is a familiar role for Costello; he has been a church lector for 30 years and the voice of the Rockport Christmas Pageant for the past 15 years.
Gail McCarthy can be reached at gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com
CAPE ANN SYMPHONY
FAMILY CONCERt
What: The Cape Ann Symphony Family Concert features the world premiere of "Katy and the Big Snow." This event features a musical retelling of a children's classic written by Gloucester's Virginia Lee Burton. Gloucester composer Robert J. Bradshaw wrote the music to commemorate the award-winning author.
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Where: Fuller Auditorium off Blackburn Circle, Route 128, in Gloucester. Handicapped accessible.
Tickets: For tickets and information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org.
