The Western Writers Association named Citizen Carl a finalist in the Best Biography category of its 2025 Spur Award competition. I couldn’t be more thrilled. My old Albuquerque Tribune pal Ollie Reed Jr. turned me on to the group and suggested I enter the competition. Sadly, he died in November. I wish I could share the news with him.
The winner in the category was The Sugar King of California: The Life of Claus Spreckels by Sandra E. Bonura (University of Nebraska Press). The other finalist was From the Reservation to Washington: The Rise of Charles Curtis by Debra Goodrich (TwoDot). I’m hoping to make it to Amarillo this summer for the WWA Conference where the Spur Awards will be presented.
My biography of Albuquerque Tribune founder Carl Magee — Citizen Carl: The Editor Who Cracked Teapot Dome, Shot a Judge, and Invented the Parking Meter — was published by University of New Mexico Press.
Jack McElroy Books 