R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, Governor Rick Perry has declared May 2001 the eighth
1-2 annual Texas Writers Month, and the commemorative poster for this
1-3 year's literary festival pays tribute to the critically acclaimed
1-4 San Angelo author Elmer Kelton; and
1-5 WHEREAS, A novelist who sets his stories in rural Texas,
1-6 Mr. Kelton was born April 29, 1926, in a line camp on a ranch in
1-7 Andrews County and grew up on another ranch near Crane; by the age
1-8 of eight or nine he had determined to become a writer and to
1-9 chronicle the lives of cowboys, an ambition he has fulfilled with
1-10 memorable works that stand as classics in Texas literature; and
1-11 WHEREAS, After service in World War II, Mr. Kelton completed
1-12 a degree in journalism at The University of Texas at Austin and
1-13 began a career covering agriculture and the livestock industry; he
1-14 worked successively for the San Angelo Standard-Times, the Sheep
1-15 and Goat Raisers magazine, and the Livestock Weekly from 1948 until
1-16 his retirement in 1991; and
1-17 WHEREAS, His first novel was published in 1955, and his
1-18 second, appearing in 1956, won the Western Writers of America Spur
1-19 Award for best western novel of the year; among his most well-known
1-20 works are The Day the Cowboys Quit, The Wolf and the Buffalo, and
1-21 The Good Ole Boys; The Time It Never Rained, a book about the
1-22 devastating drought of the 1950s, has been hailed as "one of the
1-23 dozen or so best novels written by an American in this (the 20th)
1-24 century"; and
2-1 WHEREAS, With nearly 50 novels published to date, Mr. Kelton
2-2 has won six Spur Awards, in addition to honors from the Cowboy Hall
2-3 of Fame and the Texas Institute of Letters; the esteem in which he
2-4 is held was capsulized in 1996 when the Western Writers of America
2-5 voted him the best western writer of all time; a former president
2-6 of the Western Writers of America and the West Texas Historical
2-7 Association, he continues to write and to give lectures around the
2-8 country; and
2-9 WHEREAS, Texas Writers Month is sponsored by the Texas
2-10 Writers Project, Inc., a nonprofit organization established in 1998
2-11 to promote reading and appreciation of Texas writers and to raise
2-12 awareness of the literary arts; during this month-long celebration,
2-13 thousands of Texans will take part in programs offered by schools,
2-14 bookstores, libraries, community centers, and arts organizations;
2-15 the extensive scope of this undertaking is due in large measure to
2-16 the organizational efforts of Cary L. Roberts, president of the
2-17 Texas Writers Project; and
2-18 WHEREAS, Texas writers constitute one of our greatest
2-19 cultural resources, for their works enrich our lives in countless
2-20 ways; standing among the finest writers our state has produced,
2-21 Elmer Kelton has contributed significantly to the preservation and
2-22 interpretation of a vital part of our heritage, and it is indeed
2-23 fitting that he be recognized at this time; now, therefore, be it
2-24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
2-25 Legislature hereby recognize May 2001 as Texas Writers Month and
2-26 honor Elmer Kelton for his distinguished achievement in Texas
2-27 letters; and, be it further
3-1 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-2 prepared for Mr. Kelton as an expression of high regard by the
3-3 Texas House of Representatives.
Hunter
Junell
Turner of Coleman
Counts
Gallego
Laney Goodman Merritt
Alexander Goolsby Miller
Allen Gray Moreno of Harris
Averitt Green Moreno of El Paso
Bailey Grusendorf Morrison
Berman Gutierrez Mowery
Bonnen Haggerty Naishtat
Bosse Hamric Najera
Brimer Hardcastle Nixon
Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Noriega
Brown of Brazos Hawley Oliveira
Burnam Heflin Olivo
Callegari Hilbert Pickett
Capelo Hilderbran Pitts
Carter Hill Puente
Chavez Hinojosa Ramsay
Chisum Hochberg Rangel
Christian Hodge Raymond
Clark Homer Reyna of Bexar
Coleman Hope Reyna of Dallas
Cook Hopson Ritter
Corte Howard Sadler
Counts Hunter Salinas
Crabb Hupp Seaman
Craddick Isett Shields
Crownover Janek Smith
Danburg Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Davis of Harris Jones of Bexar Solis
Davis of Dallas Jones of Dallas Solomons
Delisi Junell Swinford
Denny Keel Talton
Deshotel Keffer Telford
Driver King of Parker Thompson
Dukes King of Uvalde Tillery
Dunnam Kitchen Truitt
Dutton Kolkhorst Turner of Coleman
Edwards Krusee Turner of Harris
Ehrhardt Kuempel Uher
Eiland Lewis of Tarrant Uresti
Elkins Lewis of Orange Villarreal
Ellis Longoria Walker
Farabee Luna West
Farrar McCall Williams
Flores McClendon Wilson
Gallego McReynolds Wise
Garcia Madden Wohlgemuth
George Marchant Wolens
Geren Martinez Fischer Woolley
Giddings Maxey Yarbrough
Glaze Menendez Zbranek
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 910 was adopted by the House on May
1, 2001, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House