John Alexander Graves III was born in Fort Worth, Texas on August 6, 1920. He attended what is now Rice University. In 1942, he joined the Marine Corps and served in the Pacific. He was wounded by a Japanese grenade in Saipan, which left him blind in one eye. He taught English at the University of Texas at Austin for three years. He received a master's degree in English at Columbia University. He wrote numerous books during his lifetime including Goodbye to a River, Hard Scrabble, and From a Limestone Ledge. He died on July 31, 2013 at the age of 92.
Wyman Meinzer, of Benjamin, Texas, has published numerous books of photographs of Texas, including Texas Sky, Texas Hill Country, and Texas Rivers. He has the distinction of having been named Texas State Photographer by the Texas Legislature. Meinzer's work appears in magazines nationwide; he is also a frequent contributor to Texas Highways and Texas Parks & Wildlife.