Award-winning Author to Present Garry L. Nall Lecture in Western Studies

April 3, 2017

CONTACT:    Dr. Alex Hunt, 806-651-2457, ahunt@wtamu.edu      

COPY BY:     Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas—The West Texas A&M University Center for the Study of the American West (CSAW) will present its Garry L. Nall Lecture in Western Studies with New York Times best-selling author, S.C. Gwynne, in a presentation titled "On Offense: Writing West Texas from the Comanche Wars to Tech Football." The lecture begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 13 in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center, Legacy Hall.

CSAW promotes teaching, research and public outreach concerning the American West and regional studies between WTAMU, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and community partners. The Garry L. Nall Lectures in Western Studies, named for retired WT history professor and editor of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Review, is part of CSAW’s effort in promoting scholarship and teaching as well as public lectures by bringing noted experts to campus. 

Gwynne’s talent as a writer is as versatile as his topics. He’s written everything from books to newspaper articles to magazine pieces on topics ranging from Quanah Parker to the Columbine High School shooting to coaching football. He’s written for the New York Times, Dallas Morning News, Time Magazine, Texas Monthly, to name a few, and has garnered such awards as the National Headliners Award, the Jack Anderson Award for investigative reporting, the Gerald Loeb Award for business and more. Gwynne also is the author of several award-winning books—Selling Money, The Outlaw Bank, Empire of the Summer Moon , Rebel Yell and The Perfect Pass. His book, Empire of the Summer Moon, was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize and is currently in the works as a film from Warner Bros. Gwynne earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton University and a master’s degree in writing from John Hopkins University.

"As a writer, S.C. Gwynne has a knack for choosing subjects that compel us to read his work," Dr. Alex Hunt, director the WTAMU Center for the Study of the American West, said. "Whether the world of high finance that marked his early career, Texas frontier history or college football, Gwynne’s work has drawn an avid readership and many awards."

Gwynne’s presentation is co-sponsored by the Distinguished Lecture Series, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and the WT Foundation. In addition to the evening lecture, CSAW will host Gwynne in an author Q&A session from 1-2 p.m. April 13 in Cornette Library’s Blackburn Room.

The evening lecture, free and open to the public, will close with light refreshments and a book signing with Gwynne. For more information, contact Hunt at ahunt@wtamu.edu.

—WTAMU—