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