1942—1943
b. Sep 25, 1876 – d. Mar 6, 1948
Charles Day, who was a staff writer at Norfolk’s Ledger-Dispatch, published a daily poem in the column titled “Lights O’Day.” Many of those poems, which he published over 10 years before becoming Poet Laureate, were put to music by Clara C. Harney and Sam Simons.
Charles appeared on numerous radio programs in Richmond and Norfolk and read poetry to the Rubinstein Club in New York. At the 1941 production of The Lost Colony, he presented his poem of the same name to the audience.
He served as Poet Laureate of several organizations simultaneously with his appointment as Virginia Poet Laureate, including both the Norfolk Chapter and Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the United Memorial Day Association.
In 1939, Charles was the only person in the state to address graduating classes with poetry—at Maury High School at Loew’s State Theater and for several graduating classes at Granby High School.
He wrote four volumes of poems.
Poetry Society of Virginia 