Walter Ben Hare

Walter Ben Hare (February 20, 1880 – June 30, 1950) was an American playwright and meteorologist. He authored plays under his own name and using the pseudonyms Lt. Beal Cormack and Mary Modena Burns. A prolific dramatist who penned more than 200 plays, his works were popular with amateur community theatre groups in the United States. While his works were rarely staged professionally, he became wealthy through his work as a playwright.

Hare's best known work was the best-selling play Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (1919) which was popular with amateur community theatre and school dramatic groups in the United States. It was adapted into the 1952 film Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick. He wrote The Minstrel Encyclopedia published in 1921.

In addition to his work as a writer, he had a brief career as a professional actor and was a meteorologist with the United States Weather Bureau from 1905 to 1938.