Doyle Glass (born January 22, 1962) is an American historical novelist and sculptor. He is best known for his bestselling nonfiction books "Lions of Medina"(2007), "Swift Sword" (new edition 2023) and for sculpting the Texas Medal of Honor Memorial (2008) and the Kentucky Medal of Honor Memorial (2001). Glass began writing and sculpting following a career as a criminal prosecutor in Texas and Kentucky.
Doyle Glass | |
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| Born | January 22, 1962 Midland, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Historical Novelist and Sculptor |
| Education | Southern Methodist University (BA) (JD) |
| Period | 2001–present |
| Genre | Historical fiction and nonfiction, Realism |
| Notable works | Swift Sword, Lions of Medina, Texas Medal of Honor Memorial, Kentucky Medal of Honor Memorial |
| Website | |
| www | |
Early life and education
editGlass was born and raised in Midland, Texas to George H. Glass, a rancher and oilman, and Myra Glass. He has two brothers, George Jr., and Braxton. When Glass was twelve years old, he made his first visit to the Alamo and read Thirteen Days to Glory by Lon Tinkle. He has been fascinated by history ever since. A love of art followed shortly thereafter.
He graduated from Southern Methodist University (SMU) with a BA in history in 1984 and received his Juris Doctor degree, also from SMU, in 1988.
Career
editAfter graduating from law school, Glass began a career as a criminal prosecutor, working as an Assistant District Attorney in McLennan and Bell Counties, Texas and later, as an Assistant Attorney General, Special Prosecutions Division, in the office of the Kentucky Attorney General. In his spare time, he worked to foster his love of creating art.
In 2000, inspired by the American sculptor Augustus Saint Gaudens, Glass retired as a prosecutor and began work as a professional artist. Combining his love of history and art, he conceived of, designed, and created the Kentucky Medal of Honor Memorial ,[1][2] a life-size representation of WWII MOH recipient John Squires, and, later, the Texas Medal of Honor Memorial.,[3] a heroic size representation of Korean War MOH recipient George O'Brien Jr.
Inspired by the heroes honored by these memorials and by Lon Tinkle's account of the Battle of the Alamo that he had read many years before, Glass authored two nonfiction books about the men who fought in the Vietnam War.
His first book, Lions of Medina, was so successful and personally rewarding that he embarked on a career as a full-time writer. Based on personal interviews Glass conducted with survivors of Operation Medina, a military operation conducted by the Marine Corps in the Hai Lang National Forest of South Vietnam, the book was published by Coleche Press in 2007 and by NAL Caliber Penguin in 2008. Medal of Honor recipient William T. Perkins is featured prominently in the work.
His second book, Swift Sword, based on personal interviews of nearly fifty survivors of Operation Swift, recounts, in the words of the men themselves, a harrowing fight for survival by Marines on a lone knoll in Vietnam's Que Son Valley. The heroic acts of Medal of Honor recipients Father Vincent Capodanno and Lawrence Peters, along with countless other heroes, are told. The new edition of Swift Sword was chosen as winner of the 2023 Pencraft Award for Best Nonfiction.[4]
Both Swift Sword and Lions of Medina have spent multiple weeks at the top of the Amazon bestseller lists for the Vietnam War, as well as numerous other categories. His third book, Unthrottled, a historical fiction work based on the remarkable life of WWII hero Robert Benoist, is due to be released in 2026.
Personal life
editGlass lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife Somer and their daughters Atty and Myra Lee. Glass’ son Jake lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Doyle is on the Executive Boards of the Meadows School of the Arts and the Mustang Club at SMU, and is a former board member of Dallas Children's Advocacy Center (DCAC). He enjoys collecting art and antiques, spending time with his family and, along with his son, learning the martial art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Works
edit- The Kentucky Medal of Honor Memorial (2001)
- Lions of Medina. Dutton Caliber. 2007. ISBN 978-0451224088.
- The Texas Medal of Honor Memorial (2008)
- Swift Sword. Coleche Press. 2014. ISBN 979-8-9860316-0-6.
- Unthrottled- The Life of Robert Benoist (due to be released in 2026)
Awards and honors
edit- 2023 Winner Pencraft Award for Best Nonfiction
References
edit- ^ "Kentucky Medal of Honor Memorial". Archived from the original on May 13, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
- ^ "Kentucky Medal of Honor Memorial". KET. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ^ Texas Medal of Honor Memorial Archived 2009-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "2023 Nonfiction and Fiction Book of the Year winners". 2023.