Haven't had time to report on our gala party at La Paloma Resort in Tucson last Saturday night. We presented our first True Westerner Award to Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana and upon receiving the award, Larry talked at length about his adventures writing the first three scripts for my cartoon creation Honkytonk Sue. I was quite honored as you can see in photo (Perhaps stunned is a better description).
March 9, 6:47 P.M.: Cottonwood Room, La Paloma Resort, Tucson. Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry receive the first True Westerner Award.
This morning, I got this report from Tom VanDyke who wrote "Cowboy Christmas" and attended the Tucson Festival of Books Author Presentation the next day (Tom also took the above photo):
"FYI. Mary and I attended the Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana author's presentation on Sunday. Approximately 1500—2000 people in attendance.
"Larry's opening remarks after thanking the Tucson Festival of Books for inviting him and Diana to present was to go on for the next five minutes about how good it was to have the opportunity to meet his old friend Bob Boze Bell and how proud he was to to receive the True West Magazine, 2013 True Westerner Award. He went on to talk about meeting Bob when he was a cartoonist. He just keep going about this and that, talking about the screenplays he wrote for a story Bob had written. He was most animated and enthusiastic in his recollections and in receiving the award. Thought you would like to know."
—Tom VanDyke
"That is Larry Flippin' McMurtry talking about a character I created in our spare bedroom on West MacKenzie."
—The thought running through my head when the above photo was taken
