Hilliard, Richard

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Hilliard, Richard

Personal

Born in VA; married; wife's name Adrienne. Education: Pratt Institute, B.F.A.; Syracuse University, M.A. (illustration); University of Hartford (CT) Art School, M.F. A..

Addresses

Home—Stanley, VA. Office—James Madison University, Duke 113C, Harrisonburg, VA 22807. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Graphic designer, educator, and illustrator. Peoplevision FX, New York, NY, former creative director; James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, assistant professor of graphic design.

Member

New York Society of Illustrators.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2005.

Godspeed, John Glenn, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2006.

Ham, the Astrochimp, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2007.

Sidelights

Born and raised in rural Virginia, Richard Hilliard moved to New York City to complete his education and begin his career as a graphic designer. He eventually returned to the southern United States, and now works as a teacher at James Madison University, where he teaches graphic design, illustration, and typography. In Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon, as well as in several other titles, Hilliard combines his artistic talent and his interest in the history of the U.S. Space Program, sharing both with young readers.

In Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon Hilliard focuses on the mid-twentieth century, when the prospect of landing a man on the moon captured the imagination of the entire nation. The book details the events surrounding the launch of Apollo 11 and the historic flight and moon landing of the three astronauts on board. Hilliard's straight-forward text profiles each astronaut's career as well as the history of the NASA space program, and it is paired with his large-format acrylic paintings featuring Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Mike Collins. Reviewing Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon for Booklist, Carolyn Phelan noted that the author/illustrator's illustrations "offer many excellent, dramatic representations of the spacecraft," and a Publishers Weekly critic deemed the work "a diverting journey for armchair astronauts."

Moving back in time, Hilliard focuses on another historic journey in Ham, the Astrochimp. Before men ever entered space, a three-year-old chimpanzee "manned" a Mercury space capsule. Because chimpanzees have so many similarities to humans, Ham aided scientists in understanding the potential effects of space travel on human health. While Ham was one sort of pioneer, astronaut John Glenn was another sort: Glenn's flight in February of 1962, as part of the Project Mercury program, propelled him into the history books as the first American to orbit the earth. Hilliard captures this pivotal moment in space history in Godspeed, John Glenn, describing Glenn's blast-off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, his space capsule propelled skyward by a giant rocket. Describing Godspeed, John Glenn as a "heartfelt tribute to the space-program milestone," School Li-

brary Journal contributor John Peters added in his review that Hilliard's paintings "capture a sense of the mission's drama and triumph."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2005, Carolyn Phelan, review of Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon, p. 1458; October 1, 2006, Todd Morning, review of Godspeed, John Glenn, p. 55.

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2006, review of Godspeed, John Glenn, p. 10.

Publishers Weekly, May 30, 2005, review of Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon, p. 61.

School Library Journal, March, 2005, John Peters, review of Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon p. 194; October, 2006, John Peters, review of Godspeed, John Glenn, p. 136.

Science Books and Film, January-February, 2006, Roger D. Meicenheimer, review of Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon, p. 42.