On this day in Alabama history: ‘Forrest Gump’ author Winston Groom was born

Author Winston Groom serves as
the keynote speaker for the
Alabama Humanities Foundation’s
annual Awards Luncheon on
Oct. 24, 2013, in Birmingham,
Jefferson County.
(From Encyclopedia of Alabama,
photo courtesy of the
Alabama Humanities Foundation)

March 23, 1944

Author Winston Groom (1943- ),
pictured ca. 1998, is best-known for
his 1986 novel "Forrest Gump," which
was adapted to an Oscar-winning film
starring Tom Hanks and directed by
Robert Zemeckis. Groom was raised in Mobile
County and earned a bachelor's degree from
the University of Alabama.
(From Encyclopedia of Alabama,
courtesy of The Doy Leale McCall Rare
Book and Manuscript Library,
University of South Alabama)

Author Winston Groom was born in Washington, D.C. Best known as the author of “Forrest Gump,” Groom grew up in Mobile County and attended the University of Alabama before serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. After returning from Vietnam, he worked as a reporter for the Washington Star and wrote several books based on the war, including “Conversations with the Enemy: The Story of PFC Robert Garwood,” a Pulitzer Prize nominee. He published “Forrest Gump” in 1986, and the novel became a bestseller after its film adaptation won six Academy Awards in 1994. Groom’s more recent work focuses on historical non-fiction, including topics such as the Civil War, World War I, and World War II.


Attribution: Graydon Rust, alabamanewscenter.com
Full article: Groom