Stories of 20th century heroes:
When A. Scott Berg '71 danced off stage following the Princeton Triangle Club's 1969 performance of "Call a Spade a Shovel," the curtain seemed destined to fall on his Princeton career.Backstage, at the Lincoln Center, the talented writer-performer ? then a junior at the University ? was approached by three agents who sought to represent the rising actor and to secure him a place among Hollywood's young stars.Berg, the son of a television writer and producer and resident of Los Angeles since he was seven years old, entertained thoughts of pursuing a career in show business.But University English professor Carlos Baker convinced Berg ? who had already begun his senior thesis research on Maxwell Perkins, then editor-in-chief of the publishing company Charles Scribner's Sons ? to finish his role as a student."He said, 'Scott, you were the star of the Triangle show this year, wouldn't you like to be the star of the English department next year?' " Berg recalled.Stardom for Berg ? the 1999 Pulitzer Prize winner for his biography "Lindbergh" on the aviator Charles Lindbergh ? would come not in the wings of the theater, but in the words that would fly from his pen. Sitting at a table by the window on the dining level of Frist Campus Center, Berg reflected on his Princeton experience and the distinguished writing career that followed, taking flight after he published "Max Perkins: Editor of Genius." The bestselling biography based on his senior thesis research earned Berg the prestigious National Book Award in 1978 ? an early stop on his road map to literary success."I suddenly had a career," Berg explained, while returning the greetings of his fellow orange-and-black-clad trustees, who paused to offer warm hellos.As much as Berg's author status seemed to fall effortlessly into place, his career had been preparing for takeoff since his freshman year.