House Bill 9451

    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HR 9451

        By Representative Turnbull






  1                         House Resolution

  2         A resolution honoring the memory of novelist

  3         and teacher, Michael Shaara.

  4

  5         WHEREAS, Michael Shaara is most well known for writing

  6  the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "The Killer Angels," in

  7  1975, but to a great many former students of Florida State

  8  University, Michael Shaara was an inspired writer, teacher,

  9  and friend whose life and career ended much too quickly, and

10         WHEREAS, after graduating from Rutgers University and

11  attending Columbia University and the University of Vermont,

12  Michael Shaara began his writing career, with 75 published

13  short stories and articles and two novels to his credit before

14  coming to FSU as a teacher in the early 1960's, and

15         WHEREAS, widely admired by his students, Michael Shaara

16  eschewed the traditional classroom setting in favor of more

17  informal methods, and

18         WHEREAS, in 1965, Michael Shaara suffered a heart

19  attack and was "clinically dead" for nearly an hour, and

20         WHEREAS, after being brought back to life with shock

21  treatments, Michael Shaara turned the experience into an

22  article for the Saturday Evening Post called "The New

23  Lazarus," and

24         WHEREAS, the American Medical Association presented

25  Michael Shaara with an award for the article and for his

26  research and understanding of heart problems, and

27         WHEREAS, in 1966, Michael Shaara won the Coyle Moore,

28  Jr., Award for excellence in teaching, and

29         WHEREAS, in 1968, Michael Shaara's first novel, "The

30  Broken Place," was published, gaining him wide recognition,

31  and

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HR 9451

    558-143-98






  1         WHEREAS, in 1975, Michael Shaara won the Pulitzer Prize

  2  in literature for "The Killer Angels," his graphic account of

  3  the Battle of Gettysburg, and

  4         WHEREAS, Michael Shaara published another novel, "The

  5  Herald," in 1981, and

  6         WHEREAS, in 1985, Michael Shaara completed his fourth

  7  novel, "Billy Boy," which covers 24 hours in the life of Billy

  8  Chapel, a star pitcher in major league baseball who is

  9  completing his 17th season, and

10         WHEREAS, Michael Shaara died of a heart attack three

11  years later in 1988, and

12         WHEREAS, Michael Shaara's final work, "Billy Boy," was

13  published posthumously as "For Love of the Game," and

14         WHEREAS, the State of Florida lost one of its finest

15  authors with the passing of Michael Shaara, and

16         WHEREAS, it is with sadness and fond memories that the

17  friends, students, and readers of Michael Shaara note the

18  tenth anniversary of his death, NOW, THEREFORE,

19

20  Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of

21  Florida:

22

23         That the House of Representatives of the State of

24  Florida hereby honors the memory of novelist and teacher,

25  Michael Shaara.

26         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution

27  be presented to his wife, Helen Shaara, as a tangible token of

28  the sentiments expressed herein.

29

30

31

                                  2