Overview of the Collection
Austin History Center, Austin Public Library,
810 Guadalupe, PO BOX 2287, Austin, TX 78768
Lavergne, Gary M.
Gary M. Lavergne Papers
1966-2003
1966, 1996-1999
.8 linear feet (2 boxes)
Gary M. Lavergne is a non-fiction writer and educational professional that lives in Central Texas. The manuscripts, essays, research files, book reviews, correspondence, book jackets and newspaper clippings in this collection document Lavergne's writing career from the mid-1990s to 2003.
AR.2002.001
Archives stacks
The records are in English.
Biographical Note
Gary M. Lavergne was born in the small Southwestern Louisiana Cajun community of Church Point in 1955 to Nolan D. and Helen Barbara Lavergne. He earned a B.A. in Social Studies Education (1976) and a M.Ed. (1981) in Secondary School Teaching from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In 1988, he earned an Education Specialist degree (Ed.S.) in Educational Administration and Supervision from McNeese University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
After several years of teaching Social Studies at Rayne High School in Louisiana, Lavergne became the first Director of the Southwest District Professional Development Center (PDC) in 1984. In 1988 he was appointed the first Director of the Region IV Education Service Center of the Louisiana Department of Education. In 1989, he accepted a position with the American College Testing Program (ACT), and in 1997 he went on to become the Director of Admissions and Guidance Services for the Southwestern Regional Office of The College Board. Lavergne served in that position until August 2000 when he became the Director of Admissions Research and Policy Analysis at The University of Texas at Austin.
To date (2012) Lavergne has written four books:
A Sniper in the Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders, The Bad Boy from Rosebud, Worse Than Death and Before Brown. In addition to these books Lavergne has authored works on topics such as his Cajun heritage and educational subjects. He has appeared at several Texas Book Festivals and his latest book, Before Brown, has garnered him the 2011 Writers' League of Texas Book Award for Non-Fiction, the 2010 Coral Horton Tullis Prize and the 2010 Carr P. Collins Award.
Source: Adapted from http://www.garylavergne.com/
Accessed: 2012 January 27
Scope and Contents
The manuscripts, essays, research files, book reviews, correspondence, book jackets and newspaper clippings in this collection document Lavergne's writing career from the mid-1990s to 2003.The Papers are organized into two series: I. Works and II. Press, Recognition and Publishing-related.
The Works series (1966, 1994-2003) includes manuscript copies of
A Tower to Climb (working title for A Sniper in the Tower) and Worse Than Death, as well copies of assorted articles, reviews and commentaries concerning education issues, Cajun heritage and writing. In addition to the manuscript of A Sniper in the Tower there is also correspondence, research materials and newspaper articles related to Charles Whitman and publishing the book. The correspondence includes letters to potential interview subjects; efforts to find a publisher; and letters of appreciation to those who were supportive of Lavergne during his first foray into writing a full length book. Also included are audio cassettes copies and transcripts of the audio recordings of the telephone communication of the police operator and the police radio of the Austin Police Department on the day of the Whitman shootings.
The Press, Recognition and Publishing-related series (1996-2001) includes awards and recognition received, book reviews, general newspapers clippings about Lavergne and his writing, flyers and newspaper clippings about his author appearances, publisher's catalogs, book jackets and some limited biography information. The majority of the materials are related to the publishing of
A Sniper in the Tower.
Arrangement
Arranged into two series:
- I. Works
- II. Press, Recognition and Publishing-related
Related Material
Archives and Manuscript Collection
- AR.2000.002 Austin (Tex.). Police Department Records of the Charles Whitman Mass Murder Case
- AR.2009.045 Whitney Milam Video Collection
General Collection
- A 364.1509764 LA Lavergne, Gary M. A Sniper in the Tower: the Charles Whitman Mass Murders.
- A 364.1523097 M1493L Lavergne, Gary M. Bad Boy from Rosebud: the Murderous Life of Kenneth Allen McDuff.
Other Libraries and Repositories
- Faulk Central Library - DVD 808.02 WR Writing Across Texas. Vol. 24, An Interview with Gary Lavergne
- Briscoe Center for American History - Gary M. Lavergne Papers
Index Terms
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Persons:
Lavergne, Gary M., 1955-.
Whitman, Charles Joseph, 1941-1966.
Organizations:
Austin (Tex.). Police Dept.
University of North Texas Press.
Places:
Austin (Tex.)
Subjects:
Crime writing--Authorship.
Homicide--Texas.
Mass murders--Texas--Austin.
Restrictions on Access
Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use
None.
Preferred Citation
Gary M. Lavergne Papers (AR.2001.001). Austin History Center, Austin Public Library, Texas.
Acquisition Information
Donor #: DO/2002/004
Donation Date: 2002, 2003
Processing Information
Collection was processed and finding aid encoded by Molly Hults, 2012.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Works,
1966, 1994-2003
<emph render="bold">A Sniper in the Tower</emph>,
1966, 1994-2001
1
1
"A Tower to Climb" (working title),
circa 1996
1
2
Correspondence,
1994-1997
1
3
Newspaper clippings,
1996, 2001
1
4
Austin Police Department police operator telephone recordings (audio cassettes),
1966
1
5-7
Transcripts of police operator telephone recordings,
1966, 1999
1
8
Austin Police Department police radio recordings (audio cassettes),
1966
1
9-12
Transcripts of police radio recordings,
1966, 1999
<emph render="bold">Worse Than Death: the Belachheb Murders</emph>,
circa 2002
2
1-2
Manuscript (draft),
circa 2002
Additional works,
1996-2003, undated
2
3
Assorted essays, reports, articles,
1996-2003, undated
II. Press, Recognition and Publishing-related,
1996-2001
2
4
Awards and recognitions,
1997-2001
2
5
Book reviews,
1997-1999
2
6
Newspaper clippings,
1996-1999
2
7
Appearances,
1997-2000
2
8
Publisher catalogs,
1997-1999
2
9
Book jackets,
circa 1990s
2
10
Biography,
1997