Elmer Stephen Kelton (April 29, 1926 – August 22, 2009) was an American journalist and writer, known particularly for his Western novels. His pseudonyms are: Tom Early, Alex Hawk, and Lee McElroy Early life Kelton was born at a place called Horse Camp on the Five Wells Ranch, owned by the Scharbauer Cattle Company, in Andrews County — just east of the city of Andrews, Texas. His parents were Robert William "Buck" Kelton- (30 June 1901 – 15 June 1980) and Neta Beatrice "Bea" (née Parker). 15 May 1904 – 27 April 1993) Kelton. When Kelton was three years old, his family moved to the McElroy Ranch located in the counties of Crane and Upton, Texas, near the city of Crane, south-southwest of Midland. He spent the rest of his childhood at three different homesteads on the McElroy Ranch, where his father was employed for 36 years. After graduation from Crane High School, Kelton attended the University of Texas at Austin, in 1942–1944 and again from 1946–1948, when he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. From 1944 to 1946, Kelton had served in the U.S. Army, with combat infantry experience in Europe during World War II. Career From 1948-1963, Kelton was the farm-and-ranch editor for the San Angelo Standard-Times in the Harte-Hanks chain. For five years, he was editor of Sheep and Goat Raiser Magazine and another 22 years he was editor of Livestock Weekly, from which he retired in 1990. His memoir, Sandhills Boy, was published in 2007. Three of his novels have been featured in Reader's Digest Condensed Books. Seven Kelton novels, Buffalo Wagons, The Day the Cowboys Quit, The Time It Never Rained, Eyes of the Hawk, Slaughter, The Far Canyon, and The Way of the Coyote, have won Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. Peers in the WWA also named him as the greatest Western writer of all time. Three other novels, The Time It Never Rained, The Good Old Boys, and The Man Who Rode Midnight, have received Western Heritage Awards from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Good Old Boys was made into the Turner Network Television TV movie named The Good Old Boys (1995) starring Tommy Lee Jones. In 1977, Kelton received an Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement (named for Owen Wister, the author of The Virginian). In April 1997, the Texas