G.R. Williamson lives in Kerrville, Texas with his wife, J.A., and trusty Chihuahua, “Shooter”. Born in Dallas, Texas, he spent his early years living in Crystal City, Texas which is located twenty miles west of King Fisher's ranch in Dimmitt County. As a Boy Scout he hunted arrow heads on the land that once belonged to King Fisher and he fished in the alligator waters of Espantosa Lake where the Texas Rangers shot it out with Fisher’s gang.
Williamson is a writer. He’s also a pharmacist, a former B&B owner, a humorist, a shade tree sage and a history buff.. Yes sir, his inn was built on property that first belonged to none other than Colonel Jack “Coffee” Hays, the legendary Texas Ranger.
While at the University of Texas, he came under the influence of J. Frank Dobie and Walter Prescott Webb. From that point on history and folklore became the focus of his studies, and over the years he has amassed a large library that continues to grow.
Trained as a pharmacist, Ron longed to pen his own works, so he began a self-study in writing. After reading a stack of books on the various aspects of the craft, he attended training seminars and workshops until he felt confident enough to send off his first manuscript. Initially he published articles in small newspapers and finally graduated to national magazines.
His first try at screen writing resulted in a first place writing award at the Golden Triangle Writers of Beaumont, Texas. The following year his second screenplay took the top award at the University. Of Texas -Arlington/Greater Dallas Writers competition. Later one of his screenplays was a featured award winner at the Kern Film Festival in California.
As a speaker he gives presentations on a variety of topics that include Texas Ranger and patriot John Coffee Hays, Ben Thompson, King Fisher, and frontier gambling.
He likes to brag that he comes from a long line of Texas storytellers. His grandfather, Jim Williamson, was a master story teller who would get together with his cronies and play bluegrass music under the shade trees on his farm. Between songs the old men would chew tobacco, peel pecans, and swap stories. A tall, skinny kid, called “high pockets” by his grandpa would be there to soak up the stories. Well today G.R. sure isn’t skinny but the desire to preserve the stories of Texas history has never faded.
Presentation subject: The Texas Pistoleers: Ben Thompson & King Fisher
Author's presentation covers the fascinating lives of two of the most feared pistol fighters of the American West. Based on extensive historical research the presentation tells the true story of the infamous characters and their mystery-shrouded deaths at the Vaudeville Theater in San Antonio on a chilly night on March 11, 1884. The presentation should hold the interest of fans of the American West interested in learning about an episode in the chronicles of Texas history that has not had extensive coverage.
Type of Presentation: oral presentation with or without PowerPoint slides.
Length of Presentation: 30 - 45 minutes
Contact speaker for details and available dates.
Other Presentations:
- John Coffee Hays: Texas Ranger & Patriot
- Frontier Gambling
- Famous Gamblers of the Old West
- Wild Times in San Antonio
- The El Paso Salt War
- American Scalp Hunters in Mexico
- Willis Newton - Outlaw to the End
G.R. Williamson lives in Kerrville, Texas with his wife, J.A., and trusty Chihuahua, “Shooter”. He spent his early years living in Crystal City, Texas which is located twenty miles west of King Fisher's ranch in Dimmitt County. As a Boy Scout he hunted arrow heads on the land that once belonged to King Fisher and he fished in the alligator waters of Espantosa Lake.
He has written many articles on Texas historical figures and events in Texas history. In addition, he has penned several western motion picture screenplays that make their way to California from time to time. Currently he is at work on a non-fiction book about frontier gambling.
