Memorials

From Jo Ann Hall:
I would just like to say that recently a famous pop star passed away and this was certainly an untimely tragedy. I’ve heard it said by the media several times that this person was the greatest entertainer that ever lived; however I do not share this opinion. The value of entertainment can only be assessed by the person being entertained. As with any other form of art, what is beauty to one person may not be to another. I found it sad that Horton Foote passed away and I did not even hear or know of it until some months later, and instead great attention by the media has been paid to others. Horton Foote was truly the greatest entertainer whose work I have been blessed to enjoy. If it were only his screenplay for Miss Lee’s Mockingbird, that would have been enough; but then there is all the rest! I’ve often thought how great it would be to actually meet Mr. Foote, but I’ll just have to tuck this away in my memory, safely alongside Mr. Foote’s wonderful work. Thank you Mr. Foote, well done good and faithful servant of the Lord.
Jo Ann Hall, Conroe Texas, August 5, 2009

From Philip M. Smith:
As part of a course on Texas history, each semester I include Horton's memoir Farewell. Students respond strongly to Horton's memories since many of the situations he described from two or three generations past are part of their lives. If the book reminds students of an incident in their own lives, I invite them to write a short paper about it. For several years, I took the best of these and sent them to Horton for his birthday. The students always seemed charmed to think that something they wrote might perhaps be read by Horton. My students will continue to read his memoir about childhood in early twentieth century Texas, but next semester it won't be quite the same.
Philip M. Smith, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, May 23, 2009

From Deborah S. Hartsfield:
I spent my childhood first in Wharton, Texas and later in another even smaller "small town" less than 30 miles away, so I'm familiar with Horton Foote's hometown. I'm not sure when I first became aware of his work, although I do recall how much I identified with the characters in The Trip to Bountiful. They felt like the people who had populated my life. Tender Mercies with its message of redemption touches me every time I watch it. And I remember how I wasn't at all surprised to learn that Horton Foote had a hand in one of my all-time favorites To Kill a Mockingbird.
I stumbled across several of his plays on my local PBS station and was quick to purchase the DVDs so that I could visit fictional Harrison anytime I felt that tug. And while reading his first memoir Farewell, I would close my eyes and transport myself back to the Wharton before my time.
It saddens me to think that Horton Foote is no longer with us, but how blessed we are to have his many works to inspire and entertain us. Small towns and the people who inhabit them have lost a powerful voice that told their stories with grace and kindness and most of all, with truth.
Deborah S. Hartsfield, April 16, 2009

From Becky Risher:
I am a Texan and there is something about being from Texas that I can't really describe. We're not Southern. People say, "Oh you're from the South." There are parts of Texas that fit that bill like the big-haired gals in Dallas. But we're not Southern.
I was visiting my grandmother in Grandview and we went into this diner to get a cup of coffee. A man walked in wearing a full-length duster and carrying a sidearm. I may have imagined the sidearm but he looked liken an extra from The Unforgiven.
I remember driving with my mother to go see my granny when she lived in Arlington. Driving from Houston, I knew we were getting closer as I heard those names. Those towns with magical names like Corsicana and Waxahachie. Then I saw her driveway lined with Indian paint brush and bluebonnets and I knew I was home.
Really I don't think anyone captured Texas better than Horton Foote. Trip to Bountiful and Tender Mercies are two of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. The cadence in those voices reminds me of all the best there is in Texas -- the humble, kind, wild characters that I grew up with there. I was so sorry to hear about his death here in Connecticut where I now live too. He made me long for home.
Becky Risher, March 26, 2009

From Charlotte Diamond:
Last night I watched Tender Mercies -- again. It is just so beautiful. I am a Christian, and I think I have gotten more out of that movie than many sermons or Bible studies that I have attended. I just like to think of Jesus and Horton talking about their stories. He was a a purveyor of parables for our time.
Oh, Lord, what a decent man! May God in His "Tender Mercies" inspire others to translate His Grace in such a beautiful way. This world desperately needs it.
Charlotte Diamond, March 21, 2009

From Marion Castleberry:
Horton Foote was one of the greatest and most beloved of all American playwrights. He penned more than a hundred plays and films during his seventy year career, including Tender Mercies, The Trip to Bountiful, The Traveling Lady, The Young Man from Atlanta, and Dividing the Estate, to name only a few. He was a national treasure and a remarkable human being—the likes of whom we will never see again. He believed strongly in the power of drama as a healing force in the world and committed his life to telling the stories of his hometown of Wharton, Texas. His works are rooted in the tales, the troubles, the heartbreak, and the hopes of all he saw there and they testify to the beauty, brutality, and mystery of life. We have all been blessed by his gentle, unassuming voice, his insight and wisdom, and his incredible courage and grace. In a competitive business that seldom rewards honesty and integrity, Horton remained the very model of kindness and generosity. Those of us who knew him well and worked with him admired him as both a writer of immense talent and a sensitive and loyal friend. He was loved and revered by many and he will be sorely missed. On a personal level, Horton was my friend for nearly thirty years and I was blessed to have known and worked along side him. I will miss his humor, his kindness, and that mischievious little smile. He was dear to me in more ways than I can say and I recall many wonderful moments with him. But ultimately whenever I think of Horton, I picture a young courageous boy of 17 who left his family and hometown to pursue a call to be an actor. His call took him down many roads but he never once lost his passion for the theatre or his need to remember those he loved. In his play, The Actor, Horton wrote a love story to his Mother and Father that suggest the sources of his incredibly resilient career. Reflecting on the moment he prepares to leave for acting school in Pasadena, California, the character of Horace explains:
Daddy gave me a twenty-dollar bill then, which he said I should save in case of an emergency of some kind came up. I thanked him and mother began crying then and said they were going to miss me. I said I would miss them too. Daddy said they were both very proud of me and felt I would have a wonderful success, but to always remember that if things didn’t work out in California or any other place, I could always come back to my house and be welcomed and there would be a place for me to work in his store. I thanked him for telling me that. I never did go back during their lifetime except on visits, though many a time when I was lonely and discouraged I wanted to. But then I remembered about my call and kept on going somehow.
Horton, we will miss you and will always treasure you in our memories. Have a safe journey home, Buddy.
Marion Castleberry, March 5, 2009

From Southern Methodist University:
"Remembering Horton Foote"

From George Reed:
"George Reed: Paying tribute to lessons Horton Foote taught"

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If you would like to add your remembrances of Horton Foote to this page, please send the text to susan.christensen@uta.edu