Romer Grey

Who was Romer Grey?

Romer Zane Grey was the elder son of one of the most famous Western novelists of all time, the legendary Zane Grey. Romer was born October 1, 1909 at Lackawaxen, Penn. Zane and Dolly Grey had three children: Romer, Betty, and Loren. Romer was named after an uncle Romer Carl Grey, known as Reddy Grey. In his youth Romer was very much "a chip off the old block." He went on a number of his father's expeditions in to the wild areas and also on many of his fishing trips. Romer was very much into hunting, shooting, and fishing. See for example, Zane Grey's "Book of Camps and Trails" and Romer's own two fishing books listed below.

It was Romer who suggested to his father the idea for the novel Western Union, and it was Romer who did much of the research that went into the book. In addition, it was Romer who wrote the so-called "Big Little Books," although they bore his father's name. He also developed the hero "Tex Thorne". The WWA dedicated the January, 1972 issue of The Roundup as a "Zane Grey Centennial Issue" and printed an article by Romer Grey about his dad's methods of research and writing.