Madison Cooper

[2] He cut an unusual figure around town, wearing a pair of baggy khaki pants; an old flannel shirt; an old sweater; and shoes which had seen frequent repair.

He carried his business papers in a battered leather briefcase, and was seldom without a list of books to be checked out from the library on the way home.

[6] He also received McMurray Bookshop Award, granted in 1953 by the Texas Institute of Letters;[1] he used the money to set up a fund for needy writers.

[3] The book sold for $10 at the time of publication; this, coupled with the fact that Cooper refused to entertain options for foreign distribution, soon led to its falling out of favor.

[7] Cooper wrote one additional novel, The Haunted Hacienda (1955), which did not fare as well as Sironia, Texas; it was the first in a planned trilogy, but the other two books were never written.

[2] He was buried at Oakwood Cemetery, with Presbyterian rites;[1] his will directed that his literary files be burned, unread, upon his death,[1] and further requested the destruction of any papers that might be found to compromise his many female acquaintances.

[2] The Foundation has since meted out grants totaling over $20 million for various projects around Waco,[5] and Cooper's name has been said to have become "part of the civic landscape".