Susan Elizabeth Norris (Moon), Class of 1963
By Noe Torres, McHi Librarian

 
2003 Photo From Author's Web Site & 1963 McHi Yearbook Photo

1963 McHi graduate Susan Elizabeth Norris, now known as Elizabeth Moon, is a best-selling science fiction author who has written over 20 books, including 2004 Nebula Award finalist The Speed of Dark, and numerous short stories for magazines such as Analog and Fantasy & Science Fiction. She has also collaborated with Anne McCaffrey on a number of writing projects, including the book Planet Pirates, which is currently available for checkout in the McHi Library. McCaffrey is one of the nation's top science-fiction and fantasy authors.

Cover of Elizabeth Moon's trilogy The Deed of Paksenarrion

Elizabeth was in the final graduating class at the original McAllen High School campus in the downtown area. The current campus opened its doors in 1964.

On her Web site (http://www.sff.net/people/Elizabeth.Moon/), Elizabeth recalls her childhood in McAllen: "We lived in a little frame house on Hackberry Street, which flooded every time there was a two-inch rain--our area was known as 'Hackberry Lake' after rains. We had a Valencia orange tree in the back yard (the 1951 freeze killed the grapefruit tree), and bougainvillea in the front yard, along with a row of tall palms."

Elizabeth says that she became interested in science fiction while she was a student at Lamar Junior High in McAllen. She says, "When Mary Morell transferred from the local Catholic school to Lamar Junior High. We were in the same homeroom, and in one boring assembly we were sitting side-by-side far up on the bleachers in the gym. I'd already noticed her--she's smarter than I am--and we started talking about what we liked to read. She read science fiction. I turned up my nose. She slapped me down and gave me a reading list. Two days later, I was hooked."

Mary Morell, 1963 McHi Yearbook

After graduating from McHi, Elizabeth went on to get a History degree at Rice University in 1968 and a Biology degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975. She also served in the U.S. Marines in the late 1960s during the height of the Vietnam War.

Return to McHi Famous Grads

A special thanks to kjones@ktc.com (kjones@ktc.com) for nominating Elizabeth for our alumni recognition page.

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