18 Facts About Leon Hale

Leon Hale worked as a columnist for the Houston Chronicle from 1984 until his retirement in 2014.

Carol Leon Hale was born in Stephenville, Texas, on May 30,1921.

Leon Hale was named after his mother, Leona; his father, Fred, worked as a travelling salesman who sold a machine that sealed parcels.

Leon Hale suffered from polyostotic fibrous dysplasia that caused his face to be deformed.

Leon Hale wrote for its student newspaper, The Toreador, authoring essays, columns, and opinion pieces.

An avid reader of the Horatio Hornblower novels, Leon Hale attempted to join the US Navy and later the Marine Corps during World War II.

Leon Hale eventually enlisted into the US Army Air Corps; his 1941 training stint in Nebraska marked the first time he left his home state.

Leon Hale subsequently fought as a combat gunner in the European theatre, where he flew 50 combat missions.

Leon Hale played down his military career, claiming that he never "fir[ed] a shot at an enemy plane or g[ot] as much as a skinned finger".

Leon Hale later recounted how a shell once hit his plane; although it did not explode, it left a gaping hole in the wing.

Leon Hale thrived in this work environment, with his colleagues observing how he was a writer who rarely required revision.

Leon Hale published his first novel, Bonney's Place, in 1972.

Leon Hale published an anthology of his selected works for the Post in 1983, appropriately titled Easy Going.

Leon Hale worked at the paper until mid-1984 when he was offered a place at the Houston Chronicle.

Leon Hale proceeded to author a memoir in the form of a story titled Paper Hero, in which he discussed how his personal life influenced his work.

Leon Hale was a member of the Texas Institute of Letters, a literary group in Austin, which recognized the writer with the Lon Tinkle Award for Excellence Sustained Throughout a Career.

Leon Hale won awards for fiction and non-fiction from the Headliners Foundation, United Press International, and the Associated Press.

Leon Hale met his third wife, Babette Fraser, in 1981.