By Aidan Othello Franco Mauricio
Over the years, writers worldwide conveyed important messages and teachings to humanity through their works. However, many other writers are not well known outside the country or even their native city and deserve recognition. Robert Skimin is such a writer. A retired U.S. soldier who dedicated his life to the Army and his country, he wrote books with exciting plots and essential teachings and significantly impacted El Paso's literary history.
Skimin was born on July 30, 1929, in Belden, a small Ohio town. Giving up a potential career as an artist, at 18 he enlisted in the Army, serving as a paratrooper and artillery officer and flying helicopters and light aircraft between 1947 and 1967. He fought in Korea, served in Germany from 1954 to 1957, and was the first Army pilot to wear the famous green beret from 1961 to 1963. Retiring as a major in 1967, Skimin received a Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, and the Army Commemoration Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster during his military service. He served 20 years in the Army, serving in Korea and Special Forces in Europe.
It was not until his mid-40s that Skimin came to El Paso and began writing professionally, not having any college training. He published 17 books, including Apache Autumn, a sweeping historical novel nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. As a writer, he was inducted into the El Paso Writers Hall of Fame and won the Ohiana Book Award in 1984 for his book Chikara, a big generational saga set in Japan.
Image caption: Robert Skimin and Shadow. Courtesy of Sunland Books.
Skimin frequently said he knew "the difference between writing and just typing." He wrote many books of historical fiction, explaining what could have happened if significant events in world history had alternate outcomes. His goal was to touch his audience through his stories containing a rich palette of words. Skimin, however, wanted all writer's works to be read because, for Skimin, libraries are a godsend for the multiple creations and the variety of stories everybody can find and read. Skimin writes, "I feel so fortunate that I can write, particularly about history. When I can adapt, through fiction, to the reality of actual people and events, I feel I can touch them - be there. It's a great turn-on for me. And since a writer owes his audience a rich palette of authenticity, the sometimes staggering research is an adventure equal to that of the writing itself. And as difficult as writing books that dare to recreate history can be, the labor remains a definite adventure. Why else would we persist? And thank God for libraries and those marvelous creatures who run them!"
In "Robert Renteria: Hero, Storyteller Robert Skimin Not Forgotten," Ramon Renteria explains that Skimin was a great talker, an interesting character, and a good friend. Renteria explains that Dale Walker (author of twenty-three books, television reporter, editor, news and information officer, university press director, freelance writer, biographer, historian, and president of Western Writers of America) first met Skimin in the 1980s. "He wrote every day but was not a 'clockwatcher' and had no set 'stint' of so many words a day, as many writers do," Walker says. He describes Skimin as "a good, honest, interesting guy." Walker even wrote a magazine piece about Skimin and his first significant novel, Chikara, "a big generational saga set in Japan."
Renteria points out that Skimin had a good personality and a different way of writing his books. Over the years, Walker and Skimin were good friends, for Walker knew of the battles Skimin fought, "including bouts with alcoholism and cancer," Walker says. Renteria mentions Skimin's stepdaughter, Suzanne Thomas, who rekindled a relationship with him before he died. Thomas says that "he kept writing till the very end." She admires Skimin's positive attitude, especially when facing rejection of his work many times, something every writer seems to experience. Skimin never gave up, though. "He kept writing till the very end," remarks Thomas.
Skimin's books contain many exciting stories, various plots, and essential teachings represented through the characters' actions. Skimin expresses his sensibilities in his books by sharing his beliefs with his audience. His psyche is often represented as an indirect message that can have multiple interpretations, depending on the person who reads his works. Susan Groth writes about Skimin's book Footprints of Heroes: From the American Revolution to the War in Iraq that the world has changed a lot and that society has changed its idea of the meaning of the word "hero" in comparison to 50 years ago. "Too often, the word hero comes with an image of cultural idols. For many of our youth, heroes are measured by the number of albums sold or the number of sports records broken, not by the true measures of heroism - courage, honor, pride, responsibility, and most importantly, self-sacrifice." Every person has a hero, be it a soldier, a singer, an actor, or a family member, but Groth explains that Skim in teaches through his novels that sometimes people forget who the real heroes are, forgetting its actual meaning.
In Skimin's book The River and the Horsemen, Stan R. Sheridan argues that Skimin does a fine job when he represents a situation, gives logical reasons for why everything happens that way, and makes the audience feel what is happening in the story through excellent word handling. Skimin's writing provides meaning and understanding to the day-to-day good life of the plains Indians - their customs, religion, loves and hatreds, and the warrior's absolute belief in personal invincibility over the hated Long Knives. Ski min explains the need for mutilation of an enemy to "steal forever the enemy warrior's power," but at the same time mentions how the Indians showed compassion for a fearless enemy, as in the case of the non-mutilation of Custer's body.
Sheridan notes that Skim in paints a clear picture of the harsh life in the past. In writing this book, Skimin used an actual historical incident as a base, and he detailed the conflict in his fictional story, which few writers do. Sheridan writes:
Throughout the book, the author has used known incidents to develop fictional characters and a background that otherwise would be difficult to portray. As an example, it is a fact that an Indian with a high-powered Sharps rifle fired into Reno Hill on the southeast end of the battlefield, causing casualties from as far away as 700 yards. Using this incident as a base, Skimin skillfully develops a fictional Hunkapapa Sioux warrior and traces his development to warrior status and his fictional interface with Sitting Bull, Gall, and Crazy Horse up to and throughout the battle.
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Interestingly, Skimin, later in his writing career, ventured into children's literature, writing a set of the Danny Drumm's Heroes Children's History series. Chronologically and historically accurate, they are stories of heroes and heroines of the United States. 
Skimin intended for them to be an introduction for children of important people and events in the country. Danny Drumm, a Civil War drummer boy narrates to his little dog, Shadow. Elementary school teachers and parents use the series as supplements for getting their children interested in American history. The series is beautifully illustrated in color by El Paso's own Ignacio "Nacho" Garcia, a popular political artist of the borderland. Shadow, who happened to be Skimin 's real dog, is in every illustration, making kids even more interested in the stories.
And back in 1973, Skimin wrote a fun and entertaining guide to El Paso and Juárez, illustrated by Skimin himself. This book is classified as rare, so discovering it in a dusty bookstore would be quite a coup.
Nova Quarterly, from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), reports that Skimin believed he did not need to be a professional to become a writer and that everyone can become one. As a former director of the El Paso Public Library Board, Skimin said that the UTEP library is "a fine supplement to El Paso's public library system" and felt privileged to have such an extensive library in the city. Skimin focused on international history and fiction and said that one does not have to be a professional writer to benefit from the UTEP Library.
Image caption: Illustration of Danny Drumm and Shadow by Nacho Garcia. Courtesy of Sunland Books.
Arguably, Skimin will be best remembered for igniting the Texas Book Festival. According to Michael Barnes from the Austin American-Statesman, Skimin expressed the idea to the then First Lady of Texas Laura Bush and Mary Margaret Farabee, wife of former State Senator Ray Farabee. Mary Margaret Farabee and writer, reporter, and English professor Carolyn Osborn had the same idea in a different version. Still, Skimin's support and approval of the concept made it easier to carry out the festival. In the end, Barnes asserts the festival benefited the State's public library system, promoted the joy of reading, and honored Texas authors. The first festival took place at the Texas State Capitol in November 1996. And after 27 years of its creation, the festival continues in Austin on November 5 and 6, 2022.
This project, an excellent idea for all the readers in Texas, creates the opportunity for everyone to read a book and learn the history presented inside of it. Readers can develop their imagination, even more, creating a more substantial relationship between the reader and the author. It can improve the reading culture of a city or a country.
Skimin gave a presentation at UTEP's Miners' Hall to discuss many tricks and details to help professionals and beginner writers to write a paper. According to newspaper reporter Julia Evans, Skimin taught the audience "how to find sources that can provide valuable information and how to use the library effectively." By following Skimin's steps, writers could easily find information and would know how to use it in their essays. With this presentation, Skimin helped young professional writers better control the information, avoid mistakes, and develop better essays and articles in the future.
Skimin, a writer from Belden, Ohio, became a symbol in El Paso, Texas, for the number of books he wrote. During his life, he took many actions that positively changed the literary history of an entire city by promoting lectures. ln many of his books, Skimin expresses his perspectives and thought process to his readers and demonstrates the talent he possessed to tell a great story, influencing more people to read.
Image caption: Book cover for Danny Drumm's Heroes book 1. Courtesy of Amazon.
While he may not be very famous for his books outside the country or maybe even outside of El Paso, the things he did and wrote about are the main reason why the world should know him and not forget him. Robert Skimin, 81, had been struggling with poor health. On May 9, 2011, "he went to sleep sometime in the morning at his home in Northeast El Paso and didn't wake up."
