Stephen Hunter

Many authors have a background that includes an inspiring story about how they suddenly discovered they had a passion for writing. It was no surprise at all when Stephen Hunter emerged as an author, as his mother, Virginia Ricker Hunter, was an author of books for children and his father, Charles Francis Hunter, was a professor for Northwestern University who taught speech, television production, and film. Although it is clear that the careers of his parents have a big influence on what Hunter would become, his relationship with his father was very strained. Charles Francis Hunter, being upstanding as a college professor, was frequently physically abusive to his wife and kids. He was an alcoholic who drank to cope with his hidden pangs of being gay. The issue with the sexuality of Hunter’s father was not something that became apparent until the man’s death, as he was pushed out of a window by two gay men. As a child, Stephen Hunter’s parents always renounced guns in their home, but he loved to draw them. Reflecting back, it is now said that his fascination with guns was part of his desire to be protected from his father’s abusive blows. Stephen Hunter grew up in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, although Kansas City, Missouri is where he had been born. In 1968, Hunter Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Medill School at Northwestern. He then did military service, becoming one of the guards honored at Arlington National Cemetery. Then, in 1971, using his journalism degree, Hunter became a writer at the Baltimore Sun.