Scholar, author made Texas literary culture 'much richer'

UPDATE: Memorial services for Don Graham will be held at 3 p.m. June 28 at the Texas State cemetery, 909 Navasota St.

Don Graham, author, critic and University of Texas professor who was considered the top scholar of the state’s literature, film and pop culture, died Saturday morning of a stroke at St. David’s Medical Center in Austin. He was 79.

"Don Graham was a homespun Texas scholar, the utter antithesis of a stuffy English professor — a breezy, gossipy, affable, plainspoken inspiration to generations of UT students and fellow writers," prominent author and journalist Stephen Harrigan said. "And he was not only an expert on Texas and Southwestern literature, he was a part of it. His lively and contrary voice will continue to be heard for a long time through his books and essays."

Graham was the J. Frank Dobie Regents Professor at UT and writer-at-large for Texas Monthly magazine. He also served as past president of the Texas Institute for Letters, the leading advocate for the state's literature.

"Dobie would have been proud of his successor," said Elizabeth Cullingford, chairwoman of the UT English department. "Texas — its books, films, landscape, culture and people — was his perennial subject. His students loved him. ... He began with a biography of Texan combat veteran turned film star Audie Murphy and ended with a book on 'Giant.' He lived a coherent and fantastically energetic life as a public intellectual. We will miss him."

Graham was born in January 1940 in Collin County. He earned his Ph.D. in English at UT in 1971. 

"Don was the last person you would imagine as a creature of the academy, although he was a fine scholar," Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Lawrence Wright said. "He savored life and literature, especially the art of the Southwest. His singular critical judgment was always tuned to his mischievous personality, so you never knew what to expect. He kept you off guard with his trenchant remarks and a sudden wallop of humor."

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Graham died less than two weeks after the death of Bill Wittliff, another icon of Texas writing.

“Don was a charming rogue of a scholar who brought real intellectual heft to Texas literary studies,” said Steven L. Davis, curator at the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University. “He seemed to be a good ol’ boy, but he was incredibly well read and had a sharply incisive mind. He pissed off more than a few authors with his fearless reviews, which often showed off his devastating wit. He could be controversial, and he seemed to revel in the waves he created, yet at the same time he gave Texas literary life the kick in the ass it needed. There are still a lot of writers with sore rumps out there, myself among them, but there’s no denying our literary culture is much richer for his presence.”

Graham's books include “No Name on the Bullet: A Biography of Audie Murphy,” “Cowboys and Cadillacs: How Hollywood Looks at Texas,” and “Kings of Texas: The 150-Year Saga of an American Ranching Family.” His 2018 book, “Giant: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Edna Ferber and the Making of a Legendary American Film” landed on several lists of best Texas books of the year.

"Don Graham’s friends called him the 'curmudgeon' because his public face was often cranky and cantankerous," said Mark Busby, Texas State University distinguished professor emeritus. "But he was a strong friend to those he brought into his circle, and while he disdained traditional academic writing, he was a dedicated researcher who wrote clear, unacademic prose. He had a great sense of humor. Once at a conference in Nevada, he and I joined a group for a tour of Boot Hill. Don commented after we examined headstones, that he knew what would be on his: 'Here lies Don Graham. He had no class.' R.I.P., Don."

Graham leaves behind a wife, Betsy Berry, and other relatives. He will be interred at the Texas State Cemetery.