Western novelist Elmer Kelton dies at 83

FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2003 file photo, Elmer Kelton was recently honored when the city of San Angelo dedicated a sculpture, titled "The rebirth of an old friend," to the popular western writer shown in San Angelo, Texas. Regarded by many as the greatest western writer, Kelton continues to polish his craft 50 years after publishing his first novel. More than 40 books and numerous awards later, Kelton still enjoys the challenge of writing. Famed Western novelist Elmer Kelton, whose novel "The Good Old Boys" was made into a TV movie by Tommy Lee Jones, died Saturday Aug. 22, 2009. He was 83. (AP Photo/San Angelo Standard Times, Cameron Yarborough, File)