WESTERN WRITER ELMER KELTON TO VISIT STANTON By BUD LINDSEY
Special to the Herald
STANTON — His dad wanted him to be a cowboy. He wanted to be a writer. Lucky for the residents of Stanton, Martin County and West Texas, Elmer Kelton was able to pursue his desires and become a writer. He will be a the Martin County Library at 1 p.m. Saturday for a book event.
Kelton retired from his day job at the San Angelo Standard-Times in 1990 to devote his time to writing western novels. He is the author of more than 50 books with one, "The Good Old Boys," made into a movie starring Tommy Lee Jones. Three of his books have been chosen for the Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. Perhaps the book that he more often identified with was titled The Time It Never Rained (1984). It was the story of an old timer, Charlie Flagg, who was struggling through the drought of the 1950s. All of the members of the generation of West Texans who lived in our area during the drought of the early1950s feel akin to Kelton’s character. They all probably knew someone just like him, or knew someone who knew someone like Charlie Flagg. Kelton has won all types of awards and is considered to be the best contemporary author of westerns. Seven of his books have been awarded the coveted Spur award. Four have won the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. Kelton grew up in Crane County on the McElroy Ranch. His father, R.W. “Buck” Kelton, was employed by the ranch for almost 40 years. He served a stint in the U.S. Army during World War II and was stationed in Austria where he met his wife Ann. His books will be on sale during his visit Saturday afternoon, being sold by the museum in the meeting room of the Martin County Library. His latest book, "Many a River," released in January of this year, is only one of many titles that will be available. The is no admission charge to the event.
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