R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, One of the world's most beloved literary forms is
1-2 the uniquely American creation known as the western, and the Lone
1-3 Star State's towering stature in the popular imagination springs in
1-4 large part from the remarkable durability of the genre; and
1-5 WHEREAS, Author Elmer Kelton has distinguished himself as one
1-6 of the premier storytellers of our time, and his vivid tales of the
1-7 winning of the West are as typical of Texas tradition as cowboy
1-8 songs and cattle drives; and
1-9 WHEREAS, A native Texan, Mr. Kelton grew up watching his
1-10 father ply the cowboy's trade as a ranch foreman near Crane, and
1-11 his own life experience has imbued such works as The Time It Never
1-12 Rained, The Day the Cowboys Quit, and The Good Old Boys with a
1-13 deep understanding of the cattleman's culture; and
1-14 WHEREAS, His more than 30 novels have earned him a legion of
1-15 loyal readers, including his fellow writers, who regularly
1-16 recognize him with the highest accolades of their trade; the winner
1-17 of six Spur awards from the Western Writers of America, Mr. Kelton
1-18 has been honored with the Texas Institute of Letters' Barbara
1-19 McCombs/Lon Tinkle Award and the Western Literature Association's
1-20 Distinguished Achievement Award, and he is also a three-time
1-21 recipient of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame's Western Heritage
1-22 Award; and
1-23 WHEREAS, Mr. Kelton's preeminence as the undisputed master of
1-24 the form was secured in 1996 when the Western Writers of America
2-1 selected him as the Best Western Writer of All Time, placing him
2-2 ahead of such legendary literary figures as Zane Grey, Louis
2-3 L'Amour, A. B. Guthrie, and Larry McMurtry; and
2-4 WHEREAS, A talented working journalist as well, Mr. Kelton
2-5 has worked as an agricultural writer and editor for the San Angelo
2-6 Standard-Times, Sheep & Goat Raiser, and Livestock Weekly, from
2-7 which he retired in 1990; in leaving his day job, Mr. Kelton has
2-8 freed up more of his time for his fiction writing and his
2-9 close-knit family; and
2-10 WHEREAS, Elmer Kelton has fired the imaginations and touched
2-11 the hearts of readers around the globe with his finely crafted
2-12 evocations of Texas life through the years, and even as he works to
2-13 capture a vanishing way of life on the printed page, he himself has
2-14 become an integral aspect of the Texan culture he so winningly
2-15 celebrates; now, therefore, be it
2-16 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas
2-17 Legislature hereby recognize May 28, 1997, as Elmer Kelton Day and
2-18 extend to Mr. Kelton sincere best wishes for continued success and
2-19 happiness in the future; and, be it further
2-20 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-21 prepared for Mr. Kelton as an expression of high regard by the
2-22 Texas House of Representatives.
Junell
Laney Gutierrez Oliveira
Alexander Haggerty Olivo
Allen Hamric Palmer
Alvarado Hartnett Patterson
Averitt Hawley Pickett
Bailey Heflin Pitts
Berlanga Hernandez Place
Bonnen Hightower Price
Bosse Hilbert Puente
Brimer Hilderbran Rabuck
Burnam Hill Ramsay
Carter Hinojosa Rangel
Chavez Hirschi Raymond
Chisum Hochberg Reyna of Bexar
Christian Hodge Reyna of Dallas
Clark Holzheauser Rhodes
Coleman Horn Rodriguez
Cook Howard Roman
Corte Hunter Sadler
Counts Hupp Seaman
Crabb Isett Serna
Craddick Jackson Shields
Cuellar Janek Siebert
Culberson Jones of Lubbock Smith
Danburg Jones of Dallas Smithee
Davila Junell Solis
Davis Kamel Solomons
Delisi Keel Staples
Denny Keffer Stiles
Driver King Swinford
Dukes Krusee Talton
Dunnam Kubiak Telford
Dutton Kuempel Thompson
Edwards Lewis of Tarrant Tillery
Ehrhardt Lewis of Orange Torres
Eiland Longoria Turner of Coleman
Elkins Luna Turner of Harris
Farrar McCall Uher
Finnell McClendon Van de Putte
Flores McReynolds Walker
Gallego Madden West
Galloway Marchant Williams
Garcia Maxey Williamson
Giddings Merritt Wilson
Glaze Moffat Wise
Goodman Moreno Wohlgemuth
Goolsby Mowery Wolens
Gray Naishtat Woolley
Greenberg Nixon Yarbrough
Grusendorf Oakley Zbranek
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 903 was adopted by the House on May
28, 1997, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House