1926 - 0
American novelist and short-story writer
John Knowles was born in West Virgina and attended a school in New Hampshire called Phillips Exeter Academy, which he based as the setting for A Separate Peace. Knowles had a brief stint in the Air Force before studying at and graduating from Yale University. He began work as a writer and journalist, and travelled around Europe publishing short stories. His most famous novel was A Separate Peace, which was based on a short story he wrote.
'Friendship in "A Separate Peace"' -- The characters Gene and Phineas were integrated because they complemented each other