Maryline Adams Poole A Creative Educator Artist and Mother Behind a Remarkable Family Legacy

Basic Information

Early Life and Education

Maryline Adams Poole was born on December 8, 1933, in Bristol, Connecticut, into a family with deep Connecticut roots. Her parents were Arthur Barnard Poole and Helen Noyes Burdick. Although much of her private childhood remains outside the public record, the available details present a woman who developed an early appreciation for education, literature, creativity, and independent thought.

She attended Wheaton College, where she studied English. That academic background became an important thread running through much of her life. Books were not simply objects to Maryline. They were gateways to language, imagination, history, and artistic expression.

She later pursued graduate studies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. During this period, she also developed a career in education, working as a teacher and school librarian. Her professional life therefore began in classrooms and libraries rather than in the entertainment industry that would later surround her family.

I find that part of her story especially interesting because her life eventually became connected to Hollywood through her marriage and children, yet her own identity remained rooted in education and the arts.

Marriage to Jim Hutton

Maryline married actor Dana James Hutton, better known as Jim Hutton, on December 15, 1958. The couple had met while Jim was serving in the United States Army in Berlin.

Jim Hutton was building an acting career that would eventually include films such as Where the Boys Are and the television series Ellery Queen. His career brought public attention, while Maryline maintained a comparatively private life centered on family, education, and creative work.

Their marriage lasted until 1963. Although their relationship ended in divorce, the two had already welcomed two children who would go on to become important parts of the entertainment world.

Jim Hutton died on June 2, 1979, only days after his forty fifth birthday. His death came after a battle with liver cancer.

Raising Heidi and Timothy Hutton

Maryline became the primary caregiver for her children after the divorce. Her daughter, Heidi Tarquin Hutton, was born in 1959, while her son, Timothy Tarquin Hutton, was born on August 16, 1960, in Malibu, California.

The family experienced several changes in location during Timothy and Heidi’s childhood. They spent periods in Boston and Cambridge while Maryline pursued graduate studies, later lived around Harwinton, Connecticut, near her hometown area, and eventually settled in Berkeley, California.

Maryline’s role in Timothy’s upbringing became particularly significant. Timothy has spoken about his childhood in ways that emphasize his mother’s importance as the central parental figure during his early years. She provided stability while his father continued pursuing acting opportunities.

Timothy later reconnected more closely with Jim Hutton during his teenage years and spent time living with his father in Los Angeles. That connection gave him a different view of the entertainment world that had already begun shaping his future.

Timothy Hutton and His Historic Acting Career

Timothy Tarquin Hutton became the most well-known member of Maryline’s family. In 1980, at the age of 20, he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Conrad Jarrett in Ordinary People.

His victory represented a watershed point in Hollywood history. Timothy was unusually young for such a prestigious acting award, and his performance established him as a genuine dramatic actor rather than just the son of another star.

His latter career encompassed cinema, television, and theatrical performances. One of his most well-known latter roles was Nathan Ford in the television series Leverage.

Maryline’s influence was the driving force behind that public career. She had reared Timothy away from the spotlight of Hollywood, giving him a childhood influenced by education, family activities, reading, and everyday chores. Her own professional interests in literature and education served as another form of foundation.

Heidi Tarquin Hutton and Her Private Life

Maryline’s daughter Heidi Tarquin Hutton was born in 1959. Compared with her brother, Heidi has maintained a much lower public profile.

After her parents divorced, she was raised primarily by Maryline. In the early 1980s, Heidi lived in England and was married to Nick Sheppard, a guitarist associated with the British punk band The Cortinas.

Information about Heidi’s later life is limited. She has generally remained outside the entertainment spotlight, even as her brother developed a major career. Her quieter path is an important reminder that a famous family does not necessarily mean every family member chooses public visibility.

Maryline’s Second Creative Chapter

Maryline’s professional identity changed significantly during the late 1970s. After years in teaching and school librarianship, she increasingly devoted herself to book arts.

In 1978, she began operating Poole Press in Berkeley, California. The project allowed her to combine her love of literature with drawing, typography, printing, bookbinding, and three dimensional design.

Her miniature books were handcrafted rather than mass produced. She could design the text, create illustrations, prepare the printing, construct unusual pages, bind the finished book, and oversee its publication herself.

The result was closer to a miniature work of art than an ordinary book.

Poole Press and Miniature Books

Maryline’s Poole Press work included miniature editions featuring original line drawings, linoleum cuts, woodcuts, and wood engravings. Some books incorporated movable or pop up features, transforming the reading experience into something almost theatrical.

Among the works associated with her career were Aelian on Fly Fishing, Jack in the Box: An Alphabet, Jabberwocky, The Seven Ages of Man, Almanac, Elephant Alphabet, and miniature interpretations of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

Her edition of Aelian on Fly Fishing dates to 1979, placing it among the early examples of her work with Poole Press.

Her production methods were painstaking. Editions were often limited to several dozen or a few hundred copies. Each finished object represented hours of planning and hand craftsmanship.

The miniature format suited her artistic philosophy beautifully. A small book could contain an enormous world.

Her Role in the Miniature Book Community

Maryline was not simply an independent artist. She became an active participant in the wider miniature book community.

She held several roles within the Miniature Book Society, including editor of its newsletter, co editor of an exhibition catalog, and editor of the newsletter index. She also served as acting chairman of the 5th Miniature Book Exhibition in 1992.

In 1993, she participated on an awards committee, and in 1996 she served on the committee for Conclave XIV in San Francisco.

These responsibilities reveal another side of her personality. Maryline was not only interested in producing her own books. She helped organize, document, and strengthen the community surrounding miniature bookmaking.

Her Artistic Process and Poole Press Collection

A significant record of Maryline’s creative career survives through materials associated with Poole Press.

The collection covers work dating broadly from 1979 through 2018 and contains planning materials connected with more than 30 book projects. Notes, sketches, layouts, mock ups, correspondence, business records, vendor information, and miniature book related keepsakes help illustrate how she transformed an idea into a finished object.

Her process was remarkably complete. A project could begin with a written concept, develop through sketches and page layouts, move into printing and illustration, and finally become a hand bound miniature edition.

For me, this aspect of her biography makes her particularly distinctive. Maryline did not simply commission books. She was deeply involved in the physical creation of them.

Maryline Adams Poole as an Artist and Educator

It is tempting to define Maryline primarily through her connection to Jim Hutton and Timothy Hutton. Her own accomplishments, however, tell a much richer story.

She was an educator who worked with students and books. She was a librarian who lived among literature. She was an artist who translated words into visual forms. She was a printer who understood the physical character of paper and ink. She was a publisher who produced carefully limited editions.

Her transition from education to miniature bookmaking also feels less like a dramatic career change and more like the natural evolution of a lifelong relationship with books.

Teaching gave her a connection to learning. English gave her a connection to language. Librarianship placed her in the world of books. Fine press work eventually allowed her to make books with her own hands.

Family and Grandchildren

Maryline’s family legacy continued through Timothy Hutton’s children.

Her grandson Emmanuel Noah Hutton, known professionally as Noah Hutton, was born on April 29, 1987, to Timothy Hutton and actress Debra Winger. Noah developed a career in filmmaking and has worked as a writer, director, cinematographer, and editor.

His projects have included Crude Independence, Deep Time, In Silico, and the feature film Lapsis. He married producer Taylor Hess in 2020.

Maryline’s other grandson, Milo Hutton, was born on September 11, 2001, to Timothy Hutton and illustrator Aurore Giscard d’Estaing. Milo has maintained a considerably more private life.

The family therefore spans several creative disciplines. Acting, filmmaking, literature, illustration, publishing, and visual art all appear across different generations.

Later Years in Berkeley

Maryline spent her senior years in the Berkeley, California area, where Poole Press had become synonymous with her artistic identity.

Even after decades of effort, her legacy has remained focused on craftsmanship rather than celebrity. Her publications were distributed to collectors, libraries, small book aficionados, and professionals interested in fine press traditions.

She was still involved in tiny book activities in her senior years, and resources related to her creative process were available until 2018.

Maryline died in Berkeley on March 2, 2022, at the age of 88. She was cremated upon her death.

Her death signalled the end of a life that had travelled through various realms without being fully defined by any of them.

Maryline Adams Poole Family Timeline

FAQ

Who was Maryline Adams Poole?

Maryline Adams Poole was an American teacher, school librarian, artist, miniature book maker, and publisher. She was also the first wife of actor Jim Hutton and the mother of actor Timothy Hutton.

When was Maryline Adams Poole born?

Maryline was born on December 8, 1933, in Bristol, Connecticut.

Who were Maryline Adams Poole’s children?

She had two children with Jim Hutton, Heidi Tarquin Hutton and Academy Award winning actor Timothy Tarquin Hutton.

What happened to Maryline Adams Poole’s marriage to Jim Hutton?

Maryline and Jim Hutton married on December 15, 1958, and divorced in 1963. After their divorce, Maryline primarily raised their two children.

What was Poole Press?

Poole Press was Maryline’s fine press operation associated with Berkeley, California. Beginning around 1978, she created, illustrated, printed, bound, and published handcrafted miniature books.

What kind of books did Maryline Adams Poole make?

She created limited edition miniature books using letterpress printing, original drawings, woodcuts, linoleum cuts, wood engravings, hand binding, and sometimes movable or pop up structures.

Who was Maryline’s famous son?

Her son was actor Timothy Hutton, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Ordinary People in 1980 at age 20.

Who were Maryline Adams Poole’s grandchildren?

Her grandchildren through Timothy Hutton were Noah Hutton and Milo Hutton. Noah became a filmmaker, while Milo has maintained a more private public profile.

When did Maryline Adams Poole die?

Maryline died on March 2, 2022, in Berkeley, California, at the age of 88.

What is Maryline Adams Poole remembered for?

She is remembered both as the mother of Timothy Hutton and as a dedicated educator and accomplished miniature book artist whose Poole Press editions reflected decades of literary and handcrafted artistic work.