Shannon Tompkins Retires

My all-time favorite outdoors writer filed his final report in the Sunday edition, Sept. 3rd Houston Chronicle. Shannon Tompkins has been writing for the Chronicle for almost as long as I can remember. Thirty plus years superlative worthy writing about Texas hunting, fishing, new wildlife laws, editorials on over-fishing, conservation and more. I don’t know how many awards he won over the years but it has to be an impressive collection.

I loved his writing style. It was the some of the best work I’ve ever read. So good that when I still lived in Austin, I took the Sunday Chronicle edition just so I could devour his words. I once asked him why he never submitted his work to other periodicals and he just smiled. “Why?” I didn’t realize that he was already syndicated across the nation.

I hope he enjoys his retirement; he certainly earned it but I am going to sorely miss him. The Chronicle and all of us wanna-be writers have lost yet another profoundly talented writer.

Sorry for your loss.

Thoughts and prayers during this difficult time

I liked reading his stuff. I also miss Roy Sasser from the Dallas Morning News.

yep, most of the time he was the only thing worth reading in Sunday's sport section

Tompkins and Sasser I grew up reading in local papers. Good, interesting writers. Old school.

I was on the phone with his wife Susan a few days ago. Hoping to get them out to the lake house soon. I'm betting you will still see Shannon in other publications on occasion. If you ever run in to him, get him to tell you about covering organized crime before he became an outdoors writer.

My bad- I should have doubled checked my post. Thompkins is alive and well, just retired. Sorry to mislead. Over and out.

I will, JP.