On Earth's Furrowed Brow

John Ehle was born on December 13, 1925. During World War II, he was an infantry rifleman. From 1962 to 1964, he was the special assistant to North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford. He helped establish the North Carolina Governors School, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, the North Carolina Film Commission, the North Carolina Institute of Outdoor Drama, and the North Carolina School of Arts.

He was an author who championed Appalachian literature. He wrote 11 novels including The Land Breakers, The Free Men, The Road, and The Widow's Trial. The Winter People and The Journey of August King were made into films. He received several awards including the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for North Carolina fiction, the North Carolina Award for Literature, the Thomas Wolfe Prize, and the Lillian Smith Award for Southern Fiction. He also wrote six works of nonfiction. He died on March 24, 2018 at the age of 92.

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