Jon McConal, author of Bridges Over the Brazos and A Walk Across Texas and Eddie Lane |
| Posted by Storie (storiebook) on Feb 24 2009 |
"Bunky is a literary photographer going down the road." Tom Dodge, personal friend and official member of Bunky's Camping Out and Codger's Club Some remember their days spent learning to read, write and roar like a Tiger at Glen Rose High School. Some say they still miss Texas tales he told during his years as a columnist with the Ft, Worth Star-Telegram. And some got to know him as they crossed the Brazos with him; but there aren't many from around here that don't know Jon McConal. So it will be almost like a homecoming, family reunion, special autograph session, when McConal and his friend and fellow trip taker, Eddie Lane, visit Storiebook Café on Saturday, February 28, to sign his books A Walk Across Texas and Bridges Over the Brazos.
Jon McConal won some forty-five writing awards before retiring from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2000, including being named top writer in Texas by the Texas Headliner Association. Although born in West Texas, McConal is considered a home-town boy. Moving to Glen Rose with his family as a teen, he graduated from Glen Rose High School before leaving Somervell County to continue his education. He went on to earn his BA degree from Sam Houston State University and his MA from North Texas State University, but he never strayed too far from the banks of the Brazos River for too long. He and his wife Jane now call Granbury home - even though he doesn’t stay “home” much. Many hours spent hiking along the banks of the Brazos River sparked an early interest in the great waterway that winds its way through the Lone Star State; an interest shared by his friend and outdoor-enthusiast, Eddie Lane, also of Granbury. Both of the men drew inspiration from another great Glen Rose writer, John Graves, who made the Brazos famous with his ‘eloquent description of its magic and personality’ in his book Goodbye to a River. The pals began trekking across Texas after McConal retired , when they drove over 4,000 miles to look at sixty-two bridges that crossed their beloved Brazos,. Ranging from a private bridge made from oil-field pipe to modern concrete structures, they would stand on these structures that linked people and communities and watch the river; sometimes loaded with trash, sometimes serene and gentle. They chronicled the people they met, tales they were told, and treasures they found along the way, resulting in McConal’s third book, Bridges Over the Brazos.
Far from being road-weary as one might think, McConal and Lane decided to tell retirement to take a hike and take their travels one step farther - make that a few thousand steps farther. In October of 2006, McConal, Lane and a third amigo, Norm Snyder, also of Granbury, decided to take a little trip. The 68-year-old insulin-dependent diabetic McConal, and his friends, Lane, 77, and Snyder, 62 - teamed up to walk 450 miles from the northern tip of Texas back to Granbury. This 28-day journey began at the Oklahoma border north of Perryton, Texas, and took them from Pampa, Clarendon, Brice, Turkey, Matador, Dickens, Spur, Clairmont, Rotan, Anson, Albany, Breckenridge, Caddo, Palo Pinto, Mineral Wells, Weatherford, and back to Granbury. This Walk Across Texas, was McConal's third lengthy little stroll. He had taken two 350 mile treks through other parts of the state, gathering tales for his weekly column. “Part travelogue, part natural history, and part documentary” McConal’s book, A Walk Across Texas was published last year, and is the tale of the tree travelers trip. Lane referrs to his friend’s latest work as a piece of art, in which McConal paints pictures of people and places that he is certain to leave readers saying ‘I wish could have been with those three men.” Don’t be left standing alone this weekend, take a little trip with an old friend and make some new ones, when Jon McConal and Eddie Lane embark on yet another adventure at Storiebook Café.
Last changed: Feb 25 2009
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