People like Winston Groom

Winston Francis Groom Jr. (March 23, 1943 – September 17, 2020) was an American novelist and non-fiction writer. He is best known for his 1986 novel Forrest Gump, which was adapted into the popular 1994 film Forrest Gump directed by Robert Zemeckis. The film was considered a cultural phenomenon and won six Academy Awards. He published a sequel, Gump and Co., in 1995. He also wrote numerous non-fiction works, on diverse subjects including the American Civil War and World War I.

Groom was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Ruth (Knudsen) and Winston Francis Groom. He was raised in Mobile County, Alabama, where he attended University Military School (now known as UMS-Wright Preparatory School). Groom's earliest ambition was to become a lawyer like his father; but, instead, while a literary editor in college, he chose to become a writer. Groom attended the University of Alabama, where he became a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity and the Army ROTC, and graduated with Omicron Delta Kappa honors in 1965.