AUSTIN, Texas—Faculty members of The University of Texas at Austin this year will have an opportunity to nominate an outstanding student to compete for the Roy Crane Award in the Arts — a $2,000 scholarship — for originality and creativity in the literary arts. The deadline for entry materials is March 20.
In 1965 alumnus Crane gave UT Austin an endowment which led to the establishment of the Roy Crane Award in the Arts. It is given annually to a student of UT Austin for unique, creative effort in the performing, literary and visual arts. An undergraduate or graduate student from any major area of study may compete for the award. The committee which selects the winner will give no weight to any entrant’s grade point average or other academic achievement.
To compete for the award, a student must be recommended by a UT Austin faculty member. The recommendation can be based either on the student’s cumulative achievement or on a single achievement, but it must be for one’s actual creative effort while a student at UT Austin. Research or analysis does not qualify. A faculty member may nominate a student who is no longer at UT Austin, so long as the work to be considered was not eligible for a previous Roy Crane Award and was done while the student was registered at UT Austin. No faculty member may nominate more than two students for the award.
So that an entrant’s work may be compared with similar forms of creativity, the award committee singles out only one area of the arts for each year’s competition. This year the literary arts will be considered; in 2001 the visual arts; in 2002, the performing arts.
Crane (1901-1977) is called the father of the adventure-story cartoon strip. His first creation, Wash Tubbs, appeared in 1922. It soon was followed by Buz Sawyer, syndicated by King Features, which became world famous.
Born in Abilene, Texas, Crane attended UT Austin from 1919 to 1922. His wife, the former Evelyn Hatcher, also was a student at UT Austin. Crane was art editor of the Cactus yearbook and the Longhorn, a student literary magazine that later merged with the Ranger, and he drew cartoons for the Daily Texan.
His interest in The University of Texas at Austin continued throughout his life. In addition to establishing the award that bears his name, he presented a collection of his cartoons to the University Library. In 1969 Crane was named a Distinguished Alumnus by the UT Austin Ex-Students’ Association.
Entries may be sent to Professor Martha M. Deatherage, School of Music, MUS 4.124, (E3100). For application details and additional information, contact Deatherage at (512) 471-7764.
