Robert Edward Nail, Jr. was born in Wolfe City, Texas on September 13, 1908. In 1909, his family moved to Albany, Texas. After high school, Robert attended the Lawrenceville Academy (1927-1929) where he published a number of short stories for the school literary magazine, The Lit . Following Lawrenceville, Nail attended and graduated from Princeton University (September 1929-June 1933). At Princeton, Nail published short stories in Princeton's The Nassau Lit . He also wrote and produced plays at Princeton including Time of their Lives, a popular play about life at Princeton. After graduation, Nail moved to New York City to begin a career in the theatre. Nail's father had passed on the previous year and at the urging of his family, Robert decided to move back home to Albany in 1934. In Albany, Nail continued to write plays and short stories his entire life. When there was an opening for an English teacher at the high school, Nail took the position. He wrote plays for the high school theatre department. Several of his one-act plays were published and are still performed world wide. It was during his tenure at the high school that Nail wrote the play, Dr. Shackelford's Paradise that later became known as the Fort Griffin Fandangle . First performed in 1938, the Fort Griffin Fandangle quickly went on hiatus when the US entered World War II. Nail was commissioned as a lieutenant and eventually became a captain as part of the War Bond division in Fort Worth. For his service, Nail received the Legion of Merit medal. After the war, Fort Griffin Fandangle resumed and is still put on every year by the Albany community during the last two weekends in June. In addition, Nail also penned the first Nativity in 1938. As its title suggests, the Nativity is about Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ. The community production of the Nativity is still performed by Albany residents. Robert E. Nail, Jr. died suddenly of a heart attack on November 11, 1968. For a much more detailed history of Robert Nail's immediate and extended family, see Per Stirpes: The John M. Nail Family in Texas 1839-1995 by Reilly Nail.
From the guide to the Robert E. Nail, Jr. Papers AR. 2003. 003., 1927-1968, (Robert E. Nail, Jr. Archives)
