Alabama House approves resolution celebrating Harper Lee

On Tuesday, the Alabama House of Representatives unanimously approved SJR62 from Sen. Hank Sanders (D-Selma), and co-sponsored by all other Senators, “mourning the death and celebrating the life and legacy of Nelle Harper Lee.”

Lee was born in Monroeville and attended Huntingdon College and the University of Alabama before moving to New York City where she worked as an airline reservation agent while writing on the side.

Lee composed her classic novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” only three years before the movie adaptation hit the silver screen in 1960, winning multiple Academy Awards. Despite the success of the book and film, Lee preferred to “surround herself in quiet solitude rather than notoriety.” The resolution further notes Lee’s 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, her 1999 award for Best Novel of the Century and  her 2007 Presidential Medal of Freedom, among others.

Not mentioned in the resolution is Lee’s invaluable contribution to the American masterpiece “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote. Lee and Capote were childhood friends and, together, took thousands of notes and interviewed countless sources in researching the book.

Lee published her second novel “Go Set A Watchman” in 2015. Though proclaimed a sequel to her first novel, the second was based off of her first draft from “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

The resolution goes on to call Lee “a native Alabamian loved by many throughout the world” and her memory “deeply cherished in the hearts and minds of all those who were fortunate enough to know her, as well as her many fans.”