Stan Paregien, Editor
Bill Gulick
Grover C. "Bill" Gulick (pronounced "goo-lick") was born in Kansas City, Mo. on Feb. 22, 1916. He and Jeanne Abbott were married in 1946. He studied writing under Walter Campbell at the University of Oklahoma and has been a full-time writer since 1941.
Bill Gullick at the grave of his mentor, Walter Campbell.
Custer Battlefield National Cemetery. 1987 photo
by Stan Paregien, Sr.He has written more than 200 articles for such magazines as Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, and Colliers. One series of articles for the Saturday Evening Post, "The Man From Texas," became the 1955 movie "The Road to Denver".
His fiction titles include Bend of the Snake (1950; became the 1952 Universal movie "Bend of the River"), A Drum Calls West (1952), A Thousand for the Cariboo (1954), White Men, Red Men and Mountain Men (1955), The Land Beyond (1958), Showdown in the Sun (1958), The Moon Eyed Appaloosa (1962), The Shaming of Broken Horn (1961), The Hallelujah Trail (1963; made into a 1965 Mirisch movie starring Burt Landcaster), They Came to a Valley (1966), Liveliest Town in the West (1969), The Country Club Caper (1971) and Treasure in Hell's Canyon (1979). In 1988 Doubleday published a trilogy of his 275,000 word work of fiction covering a 75 year history of the Nez Perce Indians: Distant Trails: 1805-1836; Gathering Storm: 1837-1863; and Lost Wallowa: 1869-1879.
Bill Gulick first non-fiction book, Snake River Country (Caxton Press), was published in 1971 and is now in its 4th printing. And in 1985 Caxton published his definitive work, Chief Joseph County: Land of the Nez Perce.
He served two terms as president of the WWA (1955-56) He twice won the Spur Award for the Best Western Short Story of the Year, in 1958 ("Thief in Camp," Saturday Evening Post) and 1960 ("The Shaming of Broken Horn," Saturday Evening Post). And in 1983 the WWA betowed its highest honor, the Saddleman Award, upon him.
His book, They Came to a Valley, won a Wrangler from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1966. His book Snake River Country was the recipient of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award for best nonfiction book in 1971. It has been through four printings, with sales in excess of 30,000.
Bill Gulick directed plays at the Little Theatre in Tacoma and Walla Walla for 10 years. He wrote three historical dramas which have been performed in open air arenas. One of them, "Trails West," was performed 55 times in 1976 and 54 times in 1977 to a total audience of 47,000. The United States Department of Commerce named that play as one of America's Top Ten Family Spectaculars.
He and his wife, Jeanne, who assists in research, secretarial, and editing work, have lived in Walla Walla for more than 30 years. She is retired from her position as Research Librarian at Penrose Library on the Whitman College campus, where most of Bill's materials are deposited.
One of my other experiences with Bill Gulick was an excursion on the Columbia River in the early 1990's during the annual convention of the Western Writers of America. My wife, Peggy, and I stood on the bow of the ship with Bill at twilight. And he recounted for us stories of the filming of "The Bend of the River" (based on his book, The Bend of the Snake River). And as we cruised downstream he pointed out various locations where the filming took place. It was a special moment.
Ormley Gumfudgin
Choosing "Ormly Gumfudgin" for a pseudonym should not be thought of a strange, not for a guy whose nickname since the 6th grade has been "Googy." In an article in the July-Aug., 1979 issue of The Roundup, C. Stanley Locke, Jr. explained how he came up with such a name. He stole it. From a dead man. Well, the Gumfudgin part, anyway. At least his namesake has been dead for over a hundred years, and he was a poet.
Ormley Gumfudgin wrote a newspaper column, "Warmly, Ormly," in the Record-Ledger (Sunland/Tujunga, Calif.) for 15 years, finally ending it in 1988. He has resumed a cable TV program called, "Uncommontary" and he had a part in the New Mary Tyler Moore TV show, but claims that he was not responsible for it's demise.
He has appeared in two TV movies: "The Mistress" and "Tales from the Hollywood Hills". He is best known in WWA circles for his humor, his playing unusual songs on an authentic bazooka, and for his singing with the WWA Quartet. He has been a card-carrying member of the Society for the Preservation of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America for more than 30 years.
Ormley Gumfudgin was one of the founding members of the International Chili Society and has served for many years as the historian of that organization. He presides at chili cookoffs all over America.
Mary Alice Gunderson
A native of Sheridan, Wyoming, Mary Alice Gunderson received her B.A. in Elementary Education in 1957 from the University of Wyoming. She taught elementary school for 11 years, spent three years tutoring elementary and high school homebound students, and taught for six years in the "Poetry Programs of Wyoming". She has been doing freelance writing since 1967.
Her non-fiction articles and interviews have appeared in South Dakota Review, Lab Animal, Empire Magazine, In Wyoming, REA Journal, Your New Baby, Old West, Grit, Life and Health, True West, Frontier Times, Scholastic Scope, and Real West.
She has won numberous awards for her articles and poetry from the Wyoming Writers organization. She is also a member of the Wyoming Press Women, and National Federation of Press Women.
Mary Alice Gunderson in 1987 won a $2,500 fiction fellowship from the Wyoming Council on the Arts. Her short-story, "Crossings," in the June-July issue of Plainswoman resulted in a cash award to her from the editor.
Marj A. Gurasich
Marj A. Gurasich was born in Idaho on May 30, 1922. She grew up in Gary, Indiana, and now lives near Houston. She and her husband have five children. She completed three years of college.
Most of her time has been spent as a housewife/mother, although she spent five years as a buyer for an exclusive shop and three years as a feature writer and advertising salesman for a weekly newspaper. She has also been a freelance magazine writer, besides serving four years as the project director for a Senior Citizens Project in Austin County, Tex.
Marj A. Gurasich's articles have appeared in Texas Highways, Inflight, True Story Magazine, Texas (supplement to the Houston Chronicle), and the Houston Metropolitan Magazine.
Her books include History of the Harris County Sheriff's Department: 1836-1983 (1984), Red Wagons and White Canvas: A Story of the Mollie Bailey Circus (Eakin Press, 1988), Benito and the White Dove: A Story of Jose Antonio Navarro, Hero of Early Texas (Eakin Press, 1989), and Letters to Oma (TCU Press, 1989).
She holds memberships in WWA, the Texas State Historical Association, Harris County Historical Commission, Circus Historical Association, Society of Children's Book Writers, and the Austin Writers League.
Marj A. Gurasich won "1st Place Novel" honors from the San Antonio Writers Conference in 1985, was a finalist in the Southwest Writers Conference competition in 1986, received a first place for her novel from SWC in 1987 and a first place for "Most Marketable" the same year.
Gurasich says she has zeroed in on writing historical books and children's books. "My new career is `show biz', taking my books and talking to students. In my first school year, I have spoken to several hundred young people from the age of four to twelve. This is more fun than I ever imagined, and the questions they ask and they letters they write make getting up at 5 a.m. to get to a far-away school worth while!"
Wylie Gustafson
Wylie Gustafson is the ramrod of the Western swing band, "Wylie and the Wild West". They keep busy performing their special blend of Western, folk, classic country and Western swing music all around the USA.
Wylie Gustafson and his wife, Kimberly make their home on a little ranch in Washington. No, not Washington, D.C. Washington state. The 11-person town of Dusty, Washington, to be exact.
CLICK HERE tot take a 3-minute yodeling lesson from one of the best, ol' Wylie himself. You'll get quite a kick out of it.
Wylie went to the headquarters of "Yahoo!" in Sunnyvale, CA. in November of 2003. He was emcee and head yodeler for the internet giant's attempt at the Guiness Book of World Records "largest group yodel." And they did it. Yes, Wylie and the group of 1,773 yodeling fools broke the previous record of 937.
CLICK HERE to go to the home page of Wylie Gustafson and his group, "Wylie and the Wild West".
Feliz Guthrie
Feliz Guthrie was born in Iowa on March 11, 1946, and is a Quaker by birthright. She holds the B.A. in Spanish from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. and the M.A. in Latin American Literature from the University of Wisconsin (Madison).
Guthrie owns an 18 acre spread populated by two horses, one dog and three cats. Besides writing, she also does oil painting (she illustrated her book). And, as those who attended the WWA Convention in San Diego in 1988 can attest, she is also a talented singer and guitarist.Guthrie has been a Spanish and English teacher since 1971 at Amador High School in Sutter Creek, Calif.
Feliz Guthrie joined WWA in 1988 and her first convention was in San Diego that same year. She is the author of The Last Californian (Quintessence Publications).
Lola L. Guyman
Lola L. Guyman and her husband have lived in Lander, Wyoming since 1970. They own and operate R.I.C. Electric, Inc., an electrical contracting business. They have three adult children and one grandchild. She enjoys snow mobiling, fishing, hunting and golfing. Her articles have appeared in Wyoming State Journal, True Story Magazine and Crandon Review.
Sandra E. Guzzo
Sandra E. Guzzo is a former women's new editor of the Laramie Daily Boomerang from 1973-79. She is now an instructor of juvenile writing at the University of Wyoming. She has won numerous regional writing awards, and she is the author of one nonfiction book: Chickens in the Greenhouse and Other Wyoming Escapades (High Plains Press).
This listing is far from complete and may contain errors.
Therefore, all Western entertainers and/or their agents
are requested to submit recommended changes by
contacting Stan Paregien through his e-mail address.
Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
--- Bible: Psalm 33:1
© 2003 by Stan Paregien, Sr.
