Sue Grafton
New York Times bestselling author Sue Grafton, acclaimed mystery writer, was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1940. She graduated from the University of Louisville with a B.A. in English in 1961. Among a host of over 30 prestigious awards and honors, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1993 and the Alumna of the Year Award in 1997—both from the University of Louisville. In June of 2000, she was inducted into the American Academy of Achievement and in August of this year, she was honored as Kentucky’s 2007 Distinguished American by the A.B. “Happy” Chandler Foundation.
Ms. Grafton’s work is published in 28 countries and 26 languages—including Estonian, Bulgarian, and Indonesian. All of the books in her Alphabet Series which began in 1982 are international bestsellers with readership in the millions. Her first book “A” is for Alibi introduced female hard-boiled private investigator, Kinsey Millhone, operating out of the fictional town of Santa Teresa, California. Since then she has added 19 more. Publication of “T” is for Trespass is scheduled for December, 2007.
Sue Grafton has raised the stature of the mystery genre. Her readers appreciate her straight forward style, her eye for detail, her deft hand with character, her acute social observances, and her abundant storytelling talents. In addition to her Alphabet Series, she has published 8 Kinsey Millhone short stories, and with her husband of nearly 30 years, Steven Humphrey, has written numerous movies for television, including two Agatha Christie adaptations, Sparkling Cyanide and Caribbean Mystery, which starred Helen Hayes. Ms. Grafton divides her time between Montecito, California and Louisville.
Dean J. Blaine Hudson presents the College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Honor medallion to novelist and A&S alumna Sue Grafton.
