Charles King Van Riper (September 8, 1891 – April 16, 1964)[2] was an American newspaperman, writer, and playwright, best known for writing short stories for nationally circulated magazines, and as the founder of the Abalone League, the first organized softball league in the Western United States.

[11] Van Riper began his career reporting at The Paterson Guardian, and went to the Newark Evening News, then took up story writing.

[12] After the World War I Van Riper came to Carmel-by-the-Sea to work freelance for newspapers, magazines, television, and writing plays.

[6] In 1920, Van Riper and his wife, Helen, constructed a 6,575 square feet (610.8 m2) Tudor-style home located at Carmel Point, that was built by Lee Gottfried.

[3][7] A historic plaque, situated on a stone wall at the former Van Riper property, serves as a tribute to the Abalone League.

[19][20] When he moved to Vineyard Haven later in life, he wrote a short essay on the passage of vehicles, individuals, and times along the streets of his town.

[21] In 1919, Van Riper wrote and produced a one-act play, Shadows that was performed near Carmel-by-the-Sea in an open-air production at a time when Carmel artists were trying to further the dramatic arts in California.

A staff writer from the San Francisco Bulletin said that, "Van Riper leads his characters, with the inevitable quality of good drama, and the unctuous declamation at the close, by which the audience is assured that all is well and justice has been done... Last night's effort was one of their best.

"[22] Van Riper wrote The Getaway, in 1924, a melodrama "play of adventure" announced in Variety by Edward Childs Carpenter, president of the Dramatists Theater, Inc., of New York City.

[24] During September 1925, Van Riper's The Getaway appeared at Nixon's Apollo Theatre in Atlantic City, New Jersey with a cast including Violet Heming, Minor Watson, C. Henry Gordon, Paul Harvey, Louis Sorin, and others.

[28] The play was announced for production by stage director Edward Childs Carpenter, in association with Broadway theatrical producer William Harris Jr..

[12][29] In 1932, amid the Great Depression, Van Riper wrote a one-act play titled The Crossing specifically for an all-black cast.

[34] Van Ryper also produced model airplanes which were designed to be photographed "in flight," that contributed to the creation of illustrations for aircraft-recognition pamphlets.

[34] The business grew as Van Ryper expanded from 1 building to 3 and had over 50 staff members working two shifts to produce the wartime models.

[34] Some of the models were very large, one being over 30 feet long and built from actual blueprints, it was constructed completely of metal and also replicated the interior structure of the ship.

The model approximately 5 ft (1.5 m) long, was acquired by the Will Rogers Memorial commission from the Van Ryper shipbuilders.