Friday, May 08, 2009

Bud Shrake, R. I. P.

I've followed Bud Shrake's career since I was in college, when he wrote for the Dallas Morning News.  His sports writing was an inspiration.  He was a tall man, and he stood tall in Texas letters.  I've enjoyed his books for many years, and I'm very sorry to hear he's gone.

Texas State mourns author Bud Shrake :

Texas State University
: "One of Texas’s most admired writers, Edwin A. “Bud” Shrake, Jr., passed away early the morning of May 8 at St. David’s Hospital in Austin.

Shrake was diagnosed with lung cancer last August, and given only 18-24 months to live, he kept busy with a variety of projects, including his stage play “The Friends of Carlos Monzon” scheduled to be performed in Austin in late May. He also committed himself to working on his latest book, what he called a “caper novel,” which will go unfinished. He was 77.

Shrake, journalist, sportswriter, novelist, biographer and screenwriter, was born in Fort Worth, and he began his career there, covering sports for the Fort Worth Press then the Dallas Times Herald and the Dallas Morning News, before being hired to write for Sports Illustrated."

Link via Jayme Lynn Blaschke's Gibberish.

3 comments:

Banjo Jones said...

he had a great name for a sportswriter -- Bud Shrake. 'course, he was more than that.

Lee Goldberg said...

He was a terrific writer. I loved his western BORDERLAND...as well as his novels BLESSED McGILL and BUT NOT FOR LOVE. I still have a few books of his books on my shelf that I have yet to read...like his latest, CUSTERS BROTHER'S HORSE and an oldie, PETER ARBITER...and the one he wrote with Dan Jenkins, LIMO.

Unknown said...

Limo wasn't as funny as I'd hoped, but I liked CUSTER'S BROTHER'S HORSE quite a bit.