Terry Kay facts for kids

Terry Winter Kay (February 10, 1938 – December 12, 2020) was an American author. He wrote many novels about life in the southern United States. His most famous book is To Dance with the White Dog. This book was made into a TV movie by Hallmark Hall of Fame. Famous actors Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy starred in it. In total, three of Terry Kay's books became movies.

About Terry Kay's Life

Growing Up in Georgia

Terry Kay was born in Royston, Georgia. His parents were T.H. and Viola Winn Kay. He was one of twelve children in his family. Terry Kay graduated from LaGrange College in 1959. He studied social science there.

Early Jobs and Writing

After college, Terry Kay first sold insurance. Then he started working at the Decatur-DeKalb News. He began as a copy boy and later became a writer. He then moved to the Atlanta Journal. There, he wrote about sports and reviewed movies and plays.

In 1973, he left the Journal to work in advertising. Later, in 1977, he joined Oglethorpe Power. He worked there until 1989. By then, he was a vice president. He left this job to focus on writing full-time.

First Book Inspiration

A friend, writer Pat Conroy, encouraged Terry Kay to write. Terry Kay sent a magazine article idea to a publisher. This idea became his first novel. It was called The Year the Lights Came On. This book was based on his own childhood. He grew up on a farm without electricity. The book was published in 1976.

Terry Kay's Books and Awards

Award-Winning Novels

Terry Kay's second novel, After Eli, came out in 1981. It won the Georgia Writer's Association award for Author of the Year. His next book was Dark Thirty, published in 1984.

To Dance with the White Dog

In 1991, the Southeastern Library Association named Terry Kay "Outstanding Author of the Year." This was for his book To Dance with the White Dog. The story was partly inspired by his father's experiences. It was written after Terry Kay's mother passed away.

This book became a bestseller. It was very popular in Japan, selling over 2 million copies. In 1993, a movie based on the book was made. It starred Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. The movie aired on Hallmark Hall of Fame. Hume Cronyn won an Emmy Award for his acting in it. Later, a Japanese movie version was made in 2002. A Japanese play was also created in 2016. To Dance with the White Dog was nominated twice for the American Booksellers Association Book of the Year award.

Other Recognitions

Terry Kay also won a Southern Emmy Award in 1990. This was for a TV play he wrote called Run Down the Rabbit. His novel The Valley of Light won the 2004 Townsend Prize for Fiction. In 2006, Terry Kay received the Appalachian Heritage Writers Award.

Two more of his books were made into movies. These were The Runaway and The Valley of Light.

Terry Kay's Family and Legacy

Terry Kay lived in Athens, Georgia. He lived there with his wife, Tommie Duncan Kay. They had four children together. Terry Kay passed away on December 12, 2020. He was 82 years old.