Lace, William W. 1942-

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Lace, William W. 1942-

PERSONAL:

Born September 10, 1942, in Fort Worth, TX. Education: Texas Christian University, B.A., 1966; East Texas State University, M.A., 1977; University of North Texas, Ed.D., 1987.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Arlington, TX. Office—Tarrant County College, 1500 Houston St., Fort Worth, TX 76102. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Baytown Sun, Baytown, TX, sportswriter; Forth Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, TX, sportswriter; University of Texas, Arlington, sports information director; Tarrant County College, Fort Worth, TX, vice chancellor for public affairs, 1981—. Member of City of Arlington library board, 1993-2000, and of Arlington Public Library Board Foundation; member, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

WRITINGS:

Sports Great Nolan Ryan, Enslow Publishers (Hillside, NJ), 1993.

Michelangelo, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1993.

The Top Ten Football Rushers, Enslow Publishers (Hillside, NJ), 1994.

The Top Ten Football Quarterbacks, Enslow Publishers (Hillside, NJ), 1994.

The Hundred Years' War, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1994.

Winston Churchill, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1995.

Elizabethan England, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1995.

The Wars of the Roses, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1996.

The Battle of Hastings, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1996.

Defeat of the Spanish Armada, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1997.

The Houston Rockets Basketball Team, Enslow Publishers (Hillside, NJ), 1997.

The Dallas Cowboys Football Team, Enslow Publishers (Hillside, NJ), 1997.

England, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1997.

The Little Princes in the Tower, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1997.

The Los Angeles Lakers Basketball Team, Enslow Publishers (Hillside, NJ), 1998.

The Nazis, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1998.

The Death Campus, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1998.

The Alamo, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Tiger Woods: Star Golfer, Enslow Publishers (Hillside, NJ), 1999.

The Pittsburgh Steelers Football Team, Enslow Publishers (Hillside, NJ), 1999.

Ireland, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1999.

World War II Generals and Leaders, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Hitler and the Nazis, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2000.

The British Empire: The End of Colonialism, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Scotland, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Medieval Cathedrals, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2001.

The Atomic Bomb, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years' War in World History, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

Stonehenge, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2003.

Oliver Cromwell and the English Civil War in World History, Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2003.

Elizabeth I and Her Court, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2003.

The Hopi, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2003.

Anesthetics, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Vatican, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA) 2004.

Christianity, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2005.

The Anasazi, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2005.

A Life for God: The Medieval Monastery, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2006.

Jesus of Nazareth, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2006.

The Unholy Crusade: The Sack of Constantinople, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

William W. Lace was a college administrator with Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, Texas, when he wrote his first book, Sports Great Nolan Ryan, a profile of the Texas Rangers pitcher, so that the children of Arlington, Texas, would have an accurate biography of their hero. Lace called on his earlier experience as a sportswriter to write this and other books that study various sports figures and organizations. He consequently contributed several volumes to series published by Enslow, including their sports teams series. The books contain color and black-and-white photographs that accompany Lace's narrative. Booklist contributor Ilene Cooper, in her review of The Dallas Cowboys Football Team, described this as "an appealing series for reluctant readers." Lace provides a history of the team and profiles many of the players who brought it glory. In her review of The Los Angeles Lakers Basketball Team, Cooper wrote: "The books are short but pack much information."

Lace has also written volumes for young readers about historical figures and events. His The Battle of Hastings, for one, was written for a Lucent Books series about famous battles. The author provides a prehistory of the event that enables the reader to better understand the significance of the battle and its outcome.

Lace's The Nazis is suitable for the high school-age reader who is old enough to deal with the horrors of the Holocaust. He traces the history of anti-Semitism, as well as the participation, and lack thereof, of people who might have made a difference. He profiles various war criminals and includes photographs that depict medical experimentation performed on children by the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele, and graphic depictions of massacres at camps. Lace debates the various positions of Holocaust scholars who disagree as to whether the Nazis intended to annihilate the Jews from the very beginning or whether their atrocities gained momentum over time. His focus is nearly entirely on the genocide of the six million Jews who perished, with some mention of the five million others who were also victims of the Holocaust. Hazel Rochman reviewed the volume for Booklist, concluding that it serves as "a transition" between young adult books on the subject and scholarly histories.

The British Empire: The End of Colonialism follows the development of the empire through colonization and militarization. Lace documents the decline of power and the influence of international leaders, including India's Mahatma Ghandi, which helped free native peoples in British colonies. He also describes the manner in which the British handed over power to colonial governments. School Library Journal writer Mary Mueller commented that the volume's "larger perspective will help readers understand both the scope of the British empire and its lasting influence."

Lace writes of the Hundred Years' War in a book of that title and in Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years' War in World History. In Elizabeth I and Her Court, Lace documents life at court, drawing from original documents and presented in a way that makes the details clear to younger readers. In addition to the routines involving the queen herself, the book discusses fashion and social life, romance and misdeeds, food and personal hygiene. Cheri Estes Dobbs noted in the School Library Journal that this volume is "substantial and entertaining."

Lace explores the history of the seat of the Catholic Church in The Vatican. The book reaches back in time to St. Peter's arrival in Rome and progresses over the centuries. He describes the details of the Papacy, the contributions of each pope to the Vatican itself, and the art and artists that have glorified the Vatican over time. The volume is enhanced by maps, etchings, and photographs, including many of the treasures to be found in the Vatican. Gillian Engberg reported in Booklist that the volume is a "fine resource for students researching history or religion topics."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 1996, Chris Sherman, review of The Battle of Hastings, p. 1128; October 1, 1997, Hazel Rochman, review of The Nazis, p. 314; October 15, 1997, Ilene Cooper, review of The Dallas Cowboys Football Team, p. 400; April, 1998, Ilene Cooper, review of The Los Angeles Lakers Basketball Team, p. 1317; November 1, 2000, Roger Leslie, review of The British Empire: The End of Colonialism, p. 523; October 1, 2004, Gillian Engberg, review of The Vatican, p. 340.

School Library Journal, October, 2000, Mary Mueller, review of The British Empire, p. 188; September, 2003, Cheri Estes Dobbs, review of Elizabeth I and Her Court, and Ann W. Moore, review of Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years' War in World History, p. 233.