1997 Gary Hallock
Gary Mac Hallock was born three days after the fourth of July in 1951. He was the third of four sons born to Enid and Bruce Hallock. The start for Gary was in Grand Prarie, a suburb of Dallas texas. His family did a brief stint near Flint in Michigan but permanently repatriated in Austin in 1957. Gary and his family were well, well you could say it was well travelled. They all got into a 1995 VW microbus and visited Central and South America. This trip took 6 months. Gary says that's where he learned to live on bananas and Orange Crush for days at a time. It would be best if you could hear here from the POTY himself. So, here's Gary. "Due to intensely introspective personality and highly geeky demeanor I authored and edited a weekly poetry newsletter in high school. My graduation in 1969 signalled beginning the obligatory search for myself. I heard a rumor that I was in some other state, as was common of those of my generation. I wrote ,a series of weekly travel articles (Easy Writer) for The Austin American Statesman daily newspaper in the summer of 1970 while driving aimlessly cross countryin the same VW microbus in further futile search of myself. ..." His travels took hom to places lioke Alaska, Florida, New Jersey, and Lukenbach. "( Who says there's no Luchenbach?) I eventually returned to Austin and was amazed to discover that I had been there all along waiting for myself to arrive. At this point I took advantage of my temporary confusion and married my first wife, Christine and commenced to procreate." Over the next ten years Gary authored/edited a monthly newsletter for the Austin Area Beekeeper Association (Beekeeper Briefs) and marketted a line of beekeeper novelties by mail." (ed. note; sounds like a honey of a job but at the same time might have been a sting operation.) Gary has two sons both from his first and only wife. In the early 80's Gary became involved and competed in the O.Henry Pun-Off World Championships. In 1989 he took home the first place trophy and immediately retired from competition. He then formed P.U.N.Y. (Punsters United Nearly Yearly) and became the Pun-Off producer/emcee. He has had this lofty place ever since. In 1991 he began publishing 'Pun Intended', a quarterly newsletter for the Jeering Impaired. What better person to be honored as Punster of the Year, than Gary Mac Hallock.