The Atheist: Madalyn Murray O'Hair

398 Pages·2003·1.31 MB·English

by  Bryan F. Le Beau

THE ATHEIST

BRYAN F. LE BEAU
THE ATHEIST
Madalyn Murray O’Hair
a

New York University Press • New York and London
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
© 2003 by New York University

All rights reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

LeBeau, Bryan F.

The atheist : Madalyn Murray O’Hair / Bryan F. LeBeau.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-8147-5171-7 (alk. paper)

1. O’Hair, Madalyn Murray. 2. Atheists—United States—

Biography. I Title.

BL2790.038 L43 2003

211'.8'092—dc21 2002012034

New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,
and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Freedom of Religion
and the Separation of Church and State

Contents
Acknowledgments ix/
Introduction 1/
1 Out of Obscurity 19/
2 Murray v. Curlett 57/
3 “The Most Hated Woman in America” 94/
4 “The Atheist” 130/
5 “Why I Am an Atheist” 170/
6 Articulating the Atheist Position 210/
7 O’Hair’s Prominence Recedes 244/
8 O’Hair Retires 278/
Epilogue: The Strange Disappearance /
of Madalyn Murray O’Hair 307/
Notes 323/
Index 369/
About the Author 387/
All illustrations appear as an insert following page 198.

Acknowledgments
Many more people were involved in the writing of this book than I can
mention by name. Nevertheless, I am indebted to all of them. Several in-
dividuals provided valuable insights and information gleaned from
their personal knowledge of Madalyn Murray O’Hair. At the request of
many of them, I will respect their privacy and anonymity.
I would like to acknowledge two individuals whose assistance was
very helpful in my research: Chuck Lindell, reporter for the Austin
American-Statesman; and Jimmy Nassour, who provided access to
O’Hair’s diaries and showed warm hospitality during my visit to his of-
fice to read them.
From the start of this project, I received considerable support from
the editors of New York University Press. Niko Pfund accepted my
prospectus and offered good initial advice. Jennifer Hammer took over
the project early on and saw it through to completion.
I would like to thank the reference librarians of Creighton Univer-
sity’s Reinert Alumni Library. In particular, I want to offer my contin-
ued gratitude to Chris Le Beau for her highly professional research as-
sistance.
Finally, I want to recognize David Kosalka’s valued assistance and
Julie Fox’s many hours of labor in preparing the manuscript for publi-
cation. As anyone who has engaged in such a project can appreciate,
this book would not have been possible without the help of all of these
people, and others.
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