Thomas Steinbeck writing, and the communication arts. He served as a board member of both the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California and "The Center for Steinbeck Studies" at San Jose State University. And once every year, he would personally present the John Steinbeck Award through his foundation, "The John Steinbeck Family Foundation" in affiliation with "The Center for Steinbeck Studies". During his lifetime, Steinbeck was an advocate for authors' rights. In 2009, he and his friend, folk-singer Arlo Guthrie (another son of a famous father), brought a copyright infringement lawsuit against Google which was eventually settled. At the time of his
John Steinbeck actor, served as inspiration for "The Red Pony". Later he used actual American conditions and events in the first half of the 20th century, which he had experienced first-hand as a reporter. Steinbeck often populated his stories with struggling characters; his works examined the lives of the working class and migrant workers during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. His later work reflected his wide range of interests, including marine biology, politics, religion, history and mythology. One of his last published works was "Travels with Charley", a travelogue of a road trip he took in 1960 to rediscover America.