Hughes Mearns (1875-1965) was an American poet and educator best known for his humorous poem "Antigonish," which begins with the lines, "Yesterday, upon the stair, / I met a man who wasn't there." Mearns was born in New York and grew up in a family that valued education and literature. He attended Harvard University, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees, and later earned a Ph.D. in education from Columbia University. Mearns worked as a teacher and administrator at several universities during his career, including Columbia, New York University, and the University of Chicago. He was known for his innovative teaching methods and his commitment to using literature and the arts as a means of promoting critical thinking and creativity in his students. In addition to his work in education, Mearns was a prolific writer of poetry and prose. His most famous work, "Antigonish," was published in 1922 and quickly became a popular favorite. The poem has been adapted into various forms of media, including films, television shows, and songs, and has been translated into several languages. Mearns was also a collector and scholar of folk tales and mythology, and published several books on these topics, including "The Story of the Three Little Pigs" and "The Merry Tales of the Wise Men of Gotham." He was a member of several literary and academic organizations, including the Modern Language Association and the Poetry Society of America. Mearns passed away in 1965 at the age of 89, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneering educator and a beloved poet and writer.
