Gary Lavergne
Encyclopedia
Gary M. Lavergne is an American
writer of non-fiction novel
s about Texas
mass murderers Charles J. Whitman
and Abdelkrim Belachheb, and serial killer Kenneth Allen McDuff.
Raised in Louisiana
, Lavergne earned a bachelor of arts degree in social studies education and a master's in education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
. In 1988, he earned an education specialist degree in educational administration and supervision from McNeese State University
. He was a social studies teacher, held administrative positions for both the SAT
and the ACT
college entrance exam companies, and in between jobs performed stand-up comedy. He worked for the College Board
traveling to universities helping administrators understand the SAT. Lavergne is director of admissions research University of Texas. Among Lavergne's books is 1997's A Sniper in the Tower about the 1966 shooting rampage of Charles Whitman
, which according to a 2007 Associated Press
article is "considered the definitive account of the massacre" and to Frank Rich
in a 1997 The New York Times
piece is "the authoritative account of the Whitman case".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer of non-fiction novel
Non-fiction novel
The non-fiction novel is a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real historical figures and actual events narrated woven together with fictitious allegations and using the storytelling techniques of fiction. The non-fiction novel is an otherwise loosely-defined and flexible genre...
s about Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
mass murderers Charles J. Whitman
Charles Whitman
Charles Joseph Whitman was a student at the University of Texas at Austin and a former Marine who killed 16 people and wounded 32 others during a shooting rampage on and around the university's campus on August 1, 1966....
and Abdelkrim Belachheb, and serial killer Kenneth Allen McDuff.
Raised in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Lavergne earned a bachelor of arts degree in social studies education and a master's in education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
. In 1988, he earned an education specialist degree in educational administration and supervision from McNeese State University
McNeese State University
McNeese State University is a public university located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in the United States. Founded in 1939 as a junior college, McNeese experienced growth due to economic activity in the region. It adopted its present name in 1970....
. He was a social studies teacher, held administrative positions for both the SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
and the ACT
ACT (examination)
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
college entrance exam companies, and in between jobs performed stand-up comedy. He worked for the College Board
College Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
traveling to universities helping administrators understand the SAT. Lavergne is director of admissions research University of Texas. Among Lavergne's books is 1997's A Sniper in the Tower about the 1966 shooting rampage of Charles Whitman
Charles Whitman
Charles Joseph Whitman was a student at the University of Texas at Austin and a former Marine who killed 16 people and wounded 32 others during a shooting rampage on and around the university's campus on August 1, 1966....
, which according to a 2007 Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
article is "considered the definitive account of the massacre" and to Frank Rich
Frank Rich
Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
in a 1997 The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
piece is "the authoritative account of the Whitman case".
Published works
- Before Brown (2010), about the struggle for civil rights in higher education, centered on the Sweatt v. PainterSweatt v. PainterSweatt v. Painter, , was a U.S. Supreme Court case that successfully proved lack of equality, in favor of a black applicant, the "separate but equal" doctrine of racial segregation established by the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson. The case was also influential in the landmark case of Brown v...
case at the University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. - Worse than Death (2003), about a Moroccan national named Abdelkrim Belachheb, who walked into a Dallas nightclub and gunned down seven people.
- Bad Boy from Rosebud (1999), about Kenneth McDuffKenneth McDuffKenneth Allen McDuff was an American serial killer suspected of at least 14 murders. He had previously been on death row from 1968 to 1972.-Early life and background:...
, a Texas serial killer. - A Sniper in the Tower (1997), about Charles WhitmanCharles WhitmanCharles Joseph Whitman was a student at the University of Texas at Austin and a former Marine who killed 16 people and wounded 32 others during a shooting rampage on and around the university's campus on August 1, 1966....
, known for shooting people from within and without the University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
's 27-story tower in 1966.