1-1                                       1

 1-2                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 729

 1-3           WHEREAS, One of the world's most beloved literary forms

 1-4     is the uniquely American creation known as the western, and the

 1-5     Lone Star State's towering stature in the popular imagination

 1-6     springs in large part from the remarkable durability of the genre;

 1-7     and

 1-8           WHEREAS, Author Elmer Kelton has distinguished himself as one

 1-9     of the premier storytellers of our time, and his vivid tales of the

1-10     winning of the West are as typical of Texas tradition as cowboy

1-11     songs and cattle drives; and

1-12           WHEREAS, A native Texan, Mr. Kelton grew up watching his

1-13     father ply the cowboy's trade as a ranch foreman near Crane, and

1-14     his own life experience has imbued such works as The Time It Never

1-15     Rained, The Day the Cowboys Quit, and The Good Old Boys with a

1-16     deep understanding of the cattleman's culture; and

1-17           WHEREAS, His more than 30 novels have earned him a legion

1-18     of loyal readers, including his fellow writers, who regularly

1-19     recognize him with the highest accolades of their trade; the

1-20     winner of six Spur awards from the Western Writers of America,

1-21     Mr. Kelton has been honored with the Texas Institute of Letters'

1-22     Barbara McCombs/Lon Tinkle Award and the Western Literature

1-23     Association's Distinguished Achievement Award, and he is also a

 2-1     three-time recipient of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame's Western

 2-2     Heritage Award; and

 2-3           WHEREAS, Mr. Kelton's preeminence as the undisputed master

 2-4     of the form was secured in 1996 when the Western Writers of America

 2-5     selected him as the Best Western Writer of All Time, placing him

 2-6     ahead of such legendary literary figures as Larry McMurtry,

 2-7     Louis L'Amour, A. B. Guthrie, and Zane Grey; and

 2-8           WHEREAS, A talented working journalist as well, Mr. Kelton

 2-9     has worked as an agricultural writer and editor for the San Angelo

2-10     Standard-Times, Sheep and Goat Raiser, and Livestock Weekly, from

2-11     which he retired in 1990; in leaving his day job, Mr. Kelton has

2-12     freed up more of his time for his fiction writing and his close-knit

2-13     family; and

2-14           WHEREAS, Elmer Kelton has fired the imaginations and touched

2-15     the hearts of readers around the globe with his finely crafted

2-16     evocations of Texas life through the years, and even as he works

2-17     to capture a vanishing way of life on the printed page, he himself

2-18     has become an integral aspect of the Texan culture he so winningly

2-19     celebrates; now, therefore, be it

2-20           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,

2-21     75th Legislature, hereby recognize May 28, 1997, as Elmer Kelton

2-22     Day and extend to Mr. Kelton sincere best wishes for continued

2-23     success and happiness in the future; and, be it further

2-24           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be prepared

2-25     for Mr. Kelton as an expression of high regard by the Texas Senate.

 3-1                                                                  Duncan

 3-2                                  ______________________________________

 3-3                                          President of the Senate

 3-4                                       I hereby certify that the above

 3-5                                  Resolution was adopted by the Senate

 3-6                                  on May 14, 1997.

 3-7                                  ______________________________________

 3-8                                          Secretary of the Senate

 3-9                                  ______________________________________

3-10                                           Member, Texas Senate