Theron Earle Montgomery III (‘77)
By Brittney Kimber
Dr. Theron Earle Montgomery III, a 1977 Jax State graduate and son of former Jax State President Dr. Theron Montgomery, recently released a new book, The Street of Yearning, published by Pegasus Press. His love of books and creative writing developed at a young age, growing up in Jacksonville, Alabama, in a house filled with books and spending time in elementary school writing poems.
He graduated from Birmingham-Southern with a Bachelor of Arts in English, received a Master of Arts in English from Jax State in Spring 1977 while working as a newspaper reporter, and received his doctorate from the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi on a fellowship in 1982.
“I’ve been blessed to immerse myself and share with others in a love of language,” Montgomery said. “I was heavily influenced by Henry David Thoreau, John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. I participated in Dr. Calvert’s ‘Three O’clock at the Pines’ (Jax State) sessions on reading and writing. We used to take walks up to Chimney Peak and back. He convinced me to read more William Faulkner. I took summer courses under the great Opal Lovett at JSU, in Freshman Comp and Advanced Freshman Comp. Her influence was immense, encouraging. Under her, language and writing were a vital pursuit. I still feel and am grateful for her influence.”
Montgomery enrolled in Jax State summer courses as well – Shakespeare, Modern Theater, and additional night courses. He later wrote for The Anniston Star, the Gadsden Times, and the Jacksonville News.
“I loved Jacksonville and Jacksonville State. Still do,” Montgomery said. “My parents met there after WWII and began a 64-year love story. And my sister and I were in it. My memories run deep, and I owe much to those who were there.”
When asked about his new book, Montgomery said he let inspiration lead him.
“You raise a question or image or impression, and you go after it,” Montgomery said. “As a true artist, anyway...and you discover as you go. I have an indelible impression of being 12 years old and knowing Pelham Road and the side streets. Imaginatively, I merged things together and followed whatever drove me and revealed itself.”
In addition to the free perspective for each reader, Montgomery said he is sure there are things clearer to others than to himself in The Street of Yearning. “There’s a general and true theme off the given forward quote in the book by Oscar Wilde - ‘When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one’s self.’ And I come away with the sense, like Jack London or Cormac McCarthy, that nature is, ultimately, more in control than we want to admit.”
Montgomery is a retired Troy University professor. He founded and edited the Alabama Literary Review for 12 years, edited the Alabama English Journal for three years, was Fiction Editor for the Blue Moon Review (America’s first literary e-zine) for three years, won Troy’s first National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant, helped found the Alabama Writers Forum, and served on The Southern Arts Council in Atlanta, among others.
He has published additional works, including The End of the Legend of Jared Snead (novel), Driving Truman Capote (memoir; takes place at Jax State), The Procession (short stories), and Was There (award winning short drama).
His works can be found on Amazon, ThriftBooks, and Goodreads, excluding the award-winning short drama Was There. His latest book, The Street of Yearning, can be found on the Pegasus website and in independent bookstores.
“Thoreau was right,” Montgomery said. “Follow your drummer, and you will find your rewards. Sure, you have to pay bills, and sometimes you have to keep that love on the side, but don’t leave it.”
