McMurtry Bio Author to Accept CSAW Book Award April 16 at WT

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — The acclaimed author of a biography of Texas author Larry McMurtry will accept the Bonney MacDonald Award for Outstanding Western Book on April 16 at West Texas A&M University.

Tracy Daugherty’s “Larry McMurtry: A Life” was announced as the winner of the 2024 MacDonald Award in October by WT’s Center for the Study of the American West.

He will accept the award during a public reception at 7 p.m. April 16 in the atrium of Cornette Library on WT’s Canyon campus. Admission is free. Copies of Daugherty’s book will be available for purchase and autographs.

A Pulitzer Prize-finalist, Daugherty examines McMurtry’s 60-plus-year career as a novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter in the first comprehensive biography of the Texas native.

“I’m deeply honored to receive this prestigious award. It’s especially meaningful to me to be recognized by my home state and region,” Daugherty, a Midland native and prolific novelist, essayist and biographer, said in October. “I was inspired to write about Larry McMurtry because he was instrumental in creating a literary and history-conscious culture in West Texas, the likes of which awards like this celebrate.”

Runner-up was Sarah Keyes’ “American Burial Ground: A New History of the Overland Trail,” which tells of the harrowing journey and thousands of lives lost when easterners crossed the Plains in covered wagons.

“We are so excited to have author Tracy Daugherty on campus and to present him with the MacDonald award,” said Dr. Alex Hunt, CSAW director, Regents Professor of English and Vincent-Haley Professor of Western Studies. “Daugherty’s book, ‘Larry McMurtry: A Life,’ contains a great deal of fascination for everyone interested in ‘Lonesome Dove’ and Texas culture. McMurtry’s Panhandle connections, which are significant, are also a big part of the story.”

Promoting regional research is a key aim of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—