'Footprints' authorship questioned in N.Y.

NEW YORK, May 19 (UPI) -- The son of the late presumed author of the poem "Footprints in the Sand" is suing two women, who claim they penned the verse, in a New York court.

Mary Stevenson's son, Basil Zanagare, is suing Carolyn Joyce Carty of North Carolina and Margaret Fishback Powers of British Columbia, Canada, in U.S. District Court, the New York Post reported.

Zanagare wants to stop the women from claiming authorship of his late mother's well-known inspirational poem, which is frequently quoted and featured on merchandise.

Stevenson, who died in 1999, maintained she wrote the work in 1936, but didn't copyright it until 1984.

However, Carty told the Post via e-mail, "I have not infringed on anyone's work. I wrote 'Footprints' in April 1963."

The newspaper could not reach Powers for comment.