Bud Shrake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bud Shrake
|
|
|---|---|
Shrake at the 2007 Texas Book Festival
|
|
| Born | Edwin A. Shrake Jr. September 6, 1931 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | May 8, 2009 (aged 77) |
| Occupation |
|
| Alma mater | R. L. Paschal High School University of Texas at Austin Texas Christian University |
| Spouse | Joyce Shrake Doatsy Shrake |
| Children | 2 |
Edwin A. "Bud" Shrake, Jr. (born September 6, 1931, died May 8, 2009) was an American writer who did many things. He was a journalist (a reporter), a sportswriter (someone who writes about sports), a novelist (someone who writes books), a biographer (someone who writes about other people's lives), and a screenwriter (someone who writes movies).
He wrote several popular golf books with coach Harvey Penick. One of these, Harvey Penick's Little Red Book, became the best-selling sports book ever! People called him a "lion of Texas letters" because he was such an important writer from Texas. He was also part of the Texas Film Hall of Fame and won several big awards for his writing.
Contents
Bud Shrake's Early Life and Start in Writing
Bud Shrake was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He went to Paschal High School. There, he wrote for the school newspaper, the Paschal Pantherette, with his friend Dan Jenkins.
After high school, he served in the Army. He also studied at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Christian University.
In 1951, Shrake started working at the Fort Worth Press newspaper. He was a reporter, often covering police news. He loved the busy, exciting feel of the newspaper office. A famous sports editor, Blackie Sherrod, said that Bud showed great talent right away.
In 1958, Bud moved to the Dallas Times Herald as a sportswriter. Then, in 1961, he joined the Dallas Morning News to write a daily sports column.
Shrake also started writing novels. His first book, Blood Reckoning (1962), was about the Comanche people's last battle against the U.S. Army. His next book, But Not For Love (1964), looked at the generation of people who grew up after World War II.
Writing for Sports Illustrated
In 1964, Bud Shrake moved to New York City. He joined the team at Sports Illustrated magazine, just like his friend Dan Jenkins. The editor there, André Laguerre, thought Bud was a very talented writer. He often let Bud write "bonus pieces." These were long, detailed stories that weren't always just about sports.
For example, Bud wrote "The Once Forbidding Land" (1965). This story was about life in the Texas Hill Country. He also wrote "The Tarahumaras: A Lonely Tribe of Long-Distance Runners" (1967). He wrote this after spending weeks with the Tarahumara people in Mexico.
Returning to Texas and More Books
Bud Shrake moved back to Texas in 1968. He kept working for Sports Illustrated until 1979. During this time, he also wrote more novels and movies.
His 1968 book, Blessed McGill, is set during a time called Reconstruction. Many people consider it a classic Texas story. His 1972 novel, Strange Peaches, is set in Dallas. The main character is a TV Western star who returns to Dallas to make a movie. This book was partly based on Bud's own experiences.
In 1969, Shrake wrote a well-known article called "Land of the Permanent Wave". It was about a trip to the Big Thicket in East Texas. In the article, he wrote about environmental problems and old-fashioned ways of life he saw there. Sports Illustrated didn't publish it, but Harper's Magazine did in 1970. The editor of Harper's, Willie Morris, called it one of the best articles he ever published.
Shrake continued to write about Texas in Peter Arbiter (1973). This book compared Texas during its oil boom to an ancient, rich empire. In 1976, Shrake and Jenkins wrote Limo. This book was a funny look at TV executives trying to create a reality show.
The "Mad Dog Inc." Writers
In the 1960s and 70s, Bud Shrake was part of a group of Texas writers. They were sometimes called "Mad Dog Inc." This group included Dan Jenkins, Gary Cartwright, Billy Lee Brammer, Larry L. King, Peter Gent, and Jay Milner.
Dan Jenkins described Shrake as a "fast, creative writer." Gary Cartwright said they were "wild, untamed boys." Shrake and Cartwright even started a company called Mad Dog Productions. Its motto was "doing indefinable services to mankind." One thing they did was give money to a music venue called the Armadillo World Headquarters to help it.
Bud Shrake had many interesting adventures while working for Sports Illustrated. Once, he was saved from a crowd by the famous boxer Muhammad Ali. Another time, a London soccer team made him their honorary captain after a big win. He even once picked players for the Houston Oilers football team in a draft!
Writing for the Big Screen
Bud Shrake wrote many screenplays for movies. These include the thriller Nightwing (1979) and the Western Tom Horn (1980), which starred Steve McQueen. He also wrote Kid Blue (1973) and Songwriter (1984). Songwriter starred famous musicians Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson.
Shrake also wrote a play called "Pancho Villa's Wedding Day" (1983). Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Rip Torn starred in two TV movies written by Shrake and Cartwright: "Pair of Aces" (1990) and "Another Pair of Aces" (1991). Bud Shrake even had a small role in the TV series "Lonesome Dove".
Later Novels and Biographies
In the 1980s, Bud Shrake started writing biographies about famous people. He wrote about his friend Willie Nelson. He also wrote about football coach Barry Switzer. And he wrote four more books with golf coach Harvey Penick.
His novel Night Never Falls was published in 1987. This was his favorite novel. It was about a reporter stuck in a war zone. It was the only one of his novels not set in Texas.
The success of Harvey Penick's Little Red Book in 1992 made him financially secure. This allowed him to focus more on writing his own stories.
He returned to the Comanche people, the subject of his first novel, in The Borderland: A Novel of Texas (2000). His 2001 book, Billy Boy, is a coming-of-age story set in Fort Worth. It features a golf champion, Ben Hogan, and scenes at Colonial Country Club. Shrake’s 10th novel, Custer's Brother's Horse (2007), is set in Texas in 1865, right after the American Civil War ended.
Shrake's 2006 play, The Friend of Carlos Monzon, was based on a time he was briefly held in an Argentine prison in the 1970s. This happened while he was on assignment for Sports Illustrated.
Bud Shrake's Personal Life
Bud Shrake was married and divorced twice to Joyce Shrake. They had two sons, Ben and Alan. His marriage to Doatsy Shrake also ended in divorce. He had a brother, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
For 17 years, Bud Shrake was the companion of Texas Governor Ann Richards until she passed away in 2006. He often went with her to important events. He was raised in a Baptist church but also became a minister through the Universal Life Church. This allowed him to perform weddings for his friends, like Gary Cartwright.
Illness and Passing
In his last years, Bud Shrake had both prostate cancer and lung cancer. He encouraged his friends to stay positive. Even with advanced lung cancer, he attended a special movie screening in April 2009. He was working on a new novel when he passed away.
Bud Shrake died in Austin, Texas, from complications of lung cancer. At his funeral, Ray Benson and Willie Nelson sang songs. Gary Cartwright called Shrake his "friend, compadre and mentor for 50 years." Jerry Jeff Walker also played two songs at the graveside service. Bud Shrake's hearse had a "Mad Dog Productions" sign in the back window.
Bud Shrake is buried next to Ann Richards in the Texas State Cemetery.
Movies Written by Bud Shrake
- J. W. Coop (1972)
- Kid Blue (1973)
- Nightwing (1979)
- Tom Horn (1980)
- Songwriter (1984)
- Pair of Aces (1990) (TV movie, co-written with Gary Cartwright)
- Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind (1991) (TV movie, co-written with Gary Cartwright)
Images for kids
-
Shrake at the 2007 Texas Book Festival
