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TO HONOR FRANK MORRISON SPILLANE, A GREAT SOUTH CAROLINIAN WHO HAS RECEIVED WORLD-WIDE ACCLAIM FOR HIS LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS EIGHTY-SEVENTH BIRTHDAY, AND RECOGNIZE MARCH 9, 2005, AS "MICKEY SPILLANE DAY".
Whereas, Frank Morrison "Mickey" Spillane, creator of the famous "hard boiled" private detective Mike Hammer, was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 9, 1918, the son of Anne and John Spillane, a bartender; and
Whereas, this 1995 Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America now lives in Murrells Inlet in Georgetown County; and
Whereas, in the mid-1930's, after attending Kansas State Teachers College, he returned to New York and decided to try comic book writing. He developed Mike Danger, a private detective, and wrote among others for Captain America, Captain Marvel, and The Human Torch; and
Whereas, during World War II, Mickey enlisted in the United States Army Air Force and was stationed in Greenwood, Mississippi. He was promoted pilot instructor and achieved the rank of captain by the time he left the service; and
Whereas, in Mississippi, he later married and became the father of four children, Kathy, Ward, Michael, and Caroline; and
Whereas, in 1946, he had his first book, I, The Jury, published. This work marked the introduction of Mike Hammer, the character who dominated many books to come; and
Whereas, from 1947 to 1952, Mickey wrote and published seven books, each selling in the millions; and
Whereas, between 1953 and 1961, he stopped writing full-length novels after conversion to the Jehovah's Witness in 1952, and between 1973 and 1989 for sixteen years, when he advertised Miller Lite beer; and
Whereas, he also has written two books for children, which earned him a Junior Literary Guild Award in 1980 for The Day the Sea Rolled Back; and
Whereas, in the mid-1990's, Mickey return to comic books by co-creating a futuristic Mike Danger. Although he did not do the comic-book script writing, he completed a draft of a Mike Danger science fiction novel; and
Whereas, the unbeatable Hammer survived to the 1990s, outliving William Crane, Philip Marlowe, Mike Shayne, and Lew Archer. In Black Alley (1996) he wakes up from a coma and tracks down a missing $89 billon. Times have changed, and Mickey reveals his tough-guy's fondness for Wagner (1813-1883), the anti-Semitic German opera composer, whose music had unnecessary Nazi connotations; and
Whereas, this adventurous man also did circus work, stock car racing, flying, fencing, diving, and some film work, appearing as himself in "Ring of Fear" produced by John Wayne and receiving critical acclaim for his portrayal of Hammer in "The Girl Hunters"; and
Whereas, Mickey would later spend most of his time writing and fishing at his home in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, with his wife, Jane Johnson; and
Whereas, he has been a great neighbor and a loyal friend; and
Whereas, Mickey has been an all-around good fishing and drinking buddy who is loved and adored by those with whom his shadow has crossed their lives; and
Whereas, Mickey Spillane has made a great contribution to our popular literary culture and the members of the House of Representatives are proud to honor him on the occasion of his eighty-seventh birthday on March 9th. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the House of Representatives honor Frank Morrison "Mickey" Spillane, a great South Carolinian who has received world-wide acclaim for his literary works, on the occasion of his eighty-seventh birthday and recognize March 9, 2005, as "Mickey Spillane Day".
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