It is said that tragedy often runs deep and almost always hits hard. If you stand before a certain pair of headstones at a Brownwood Cemetery, especially in the quite of the late evening or blanketed by a dreary sky overhead, you might just feel the tragedy that lies not far beneath your feet. And if there is an air of mystery or a touch of heroic adventure in the air, chances are good you have found the tombstones of Texas writer Ron E. Howard, and his mother who lies next door. Howard was a writer destined to be both great and prolific; a man who had paid his dues through difficult times, including the Great Depression, only to reach the edge of success and then lose it all in a dreadful tale of family tragedy. What he left behind was a legacy for authoring fantastic tales of sword and sorcery; the inventor of modern tales of ancient warriors; the father of amazing tales of barbaric adventures. But that barely scratches the surface of Howard's writing legacy. Born in a little Texas town called Peaster near Fort Worth, Howard came to Cross Plains, just southeast of Abilene, when his physician father moved the family there in 1919. Howard was just thirteen at the time, so all of his teen years were spent in this small but comfortable Central Texas town. While still in high school, a young Howard began submitting short stories to a long list of publications, already aspiring to be a successful writer. Some of his early stories were indeed about ancient warriors. But many were about a host of other things. For one, Howard enjoyed and was successful at writing western adventures. He also penned a number of romance stories, and even tried his hand at mystery, and sold a story about a boxer turned sour. But writing jobs were hard to come by the late 20s, and when the market crashed and America stood upon its wing as bread lines grew, Howard worked a number of jobs just to keep his head above water. After high school he wrote for newspapers; worked in a lawyers office, as a public stenographer and ended up working in a drug store. He apparently tired of rejected manuscripts and began to lose faith in his dream to become a successful writer. He eventually made it to college and found new inspiration for writing, becoming a regular contributor to the college newspaper. He had enrolled at Brownwood's Howard Payne University to learn bookkeeping. But having found his writing voice again, he started sending out manuscripts again.  Editors at Weird Tales took a liking to Howard's stories, and eventually some of the other pulp fiction periodicals started picking him up. Before long, Howard had made good on a number of fictional characters and worlds. But perhaps most popular and best loved of all his fictional characters is the one that brought him his greatest success, ironically one of the last, if not the best, characters he had created in his brief career - Conan the Cimmerian. By 1935 the young writer had made his mark in the publishing industry. Weird Tales, Action Stories, and other such publications wanted Howard's stories in their publications. He had signed a book deal with a British publishing house, a deal that never happened because of financial troubles of the publisher. But Howard was well on his way to leaving a lasting impression on the industry; on the verge of making it to the big time of mainstream fiction. That's when his mother became ill. In 1935 Mrs. Howard underwent surgery in a Temple hospital and never fully recovered. In fact, after intensive medical treatment and a long stay in a nursing facility, doctor's had given up hope that she would ever recover from a coma she lapsed into. In June of 1936, Howard asked hospital officials when his mother would come out of the coma, but the news was bad, and apparently more than Howard could handle. On June 11, 1936, Howard left the hospital demoralized and in shock over the news, sat in his car and shot himself fatally, ending a brilliant career on the edge of success. Less than two days later, Mrs. Howard died, and a double funeral was held. Interment followed at the Brownwood Cemetery. In spite of his fame for authoring the Conan stories, Howard received little credit as a brilliant writer with many a story and a goodly number of poems he left behind. Conan would go on to become a household name thanks to republication and Hollywood interest. But the other stories are slowly beginning to garner attention as well. Today, there is a special museum in Cross Plains that feature Howard's works and his life. And each a special festival is staged to commemorate his successes and to honor his memory. Yet, a real tribute to Howard's greatest may best come when fans from around the world visit the silent cemetery in Brownwood where Howard has found his eternal resting place. And in the still of the evening, or underneath a tumultous sky, one can almost feel the power and adventure of those unwritten stories that no doubt died that day along with Howard. The stories linger. You can read those that were published, or you stand before his tombstone and open your mind to the possibilities. Don't be surprised to find you are in the presence of greatness.