By Junell                                              H.R. No. 903

         75R13711 JTR-D                           

                                 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.