Evelyn Oppenheimer
Evelyn Oppenheimer was born in Dallas, Tex. on oct. 20, 1907. She received the Ph.B. from the University of Chicago in 1927. Two years later she went to work as a book reviewer for the Chicago Evening Post, then as a reporter for the Chicago Evening Journal. She was a guest lecturer in oral book reviewing at Southern Methodist University from 1970 to 1979, as well as at many other institutions such as UCLA and the University of Texas. She is a literary agent. She spoke on a panel at the Fort Worth Convention in 1986.
She is the author of a biography of a Texas newsman, Tolbert of Texas: The Man and His Work (Texas Christian Press, 1986), and of a children's book, Tilli Comes to Texas (Hendrick-Long, 1986), and of Heroes of Texas (Texian, 1964), Oral Book Reviewing to Stimulate Reading (Scarecrow, 1980), Texas in Color (1971), The Articulate Woman (1976), Legends and Other Poems (1951), Book Reviewing for an Audience (1962) and Red River Dust (1968).
In 1987 Evelyn Oppenheimer was the winner of the Media Award of the Texas Publishers Association for her coverage of books published in Texas. Her program is the longest-running book review program on radio--continuously since 1952. She has also received awards from the Texas Women's Press Association, Southwest Writers Conference, and the National Federation of Press Women.
Ken O'Rourke
Back in the 1940's and 1950's, Ken O'Rourke make his living by singing Western songs and playing the guitar.
A friend of mine, Jan Chapman, tipped me off about this gentleman. And I'm sure glad she did. He has lots of stories to tell that happened to him during his career. And we'll soon have some of that information. But in the meantime, I want to share with you a couple of the neat photos that he was kind enough to email to me.
Ken O'Rourke with Hopalong Cassidy
Gene Autry made a personal appearance Ken O'Rourke teamed with Don Larkin and Joe Simpson to write a song that sold quite a few copies back in the 1950's, during the Korean War. The song was titled, "Goodbye Maria (I'm Off to Korea)". Let's hope that war doesn't crank up, again. But if it does, this song might be resurrected.
in New York City. Ken O'Rourke was in
one of the opening acts, and he is in this
photo near the top, at right. I also recog-
nize Johnny Bond just above Gene's head.
1946CLICK HERE to hear Ken O'Rourke performing "Goodby Maria (I'm Off to Korea)"
More later.
Zelma Orr
A retired U.S. Customs officer, Zelma Orr has written eight romance books for Harlequin, each and every one with a Western setting. Her titles include In the Eyes of Love (1983) and Miracles Take Longer (1983). One of her historical novels was purchased for production as an audio cassette.Thin Cover was released as an electronic book by New Concepts Publishing. This book, a romantic intrigue, also had a western setting (Las Vegas). Treasures of the Heart is an e-book and presented by http://www.m-pro.demon.co.uk . Both books are available in MS Word Format. Further information can be seen at http://web.cetlink.net/~zorr .
Belinda Osgood
A horse trader and novelist, Belinda Osgood writes as William B. Lucky and is the author of HighLine Rider (Zebra, 1985) and Fire Basin (Zebra, 1986).
Stacy Osgood
Stacy Osgood has written for National Tombstone Epitaph.
Jeff Osterhage
Jeff Osterhage, actor, was born on Mar. 12, 1953 in Columbus, IN. He appeared in such TV Westerns as "True Grit" (1978, TV), "The Legend of the Golden Gun" (1979, TV), "The Sacketts" (1979, TV), and "The Shadow Riders" (1982, TV).
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Jeff Osterhage.
Stephen Overholser
Stephen Overholser was born in Bend, Ore. on June 24, 1944. He served in the U.S. Army from 1966-77, and he married Linda Baity in 1976. Oddly enough, the first short story to flow from his pen was one that he wrote in a church pew when he was seven years old. It was, quite naturally, a western featuring Wyatt Earp. He is, of course, the son of Wayne D. Overholser.In 1966, he dropped out of college his senior year to join the Army. He was sent to Vietnam, where he drove a supply truck. After he returned from war, he drifted around the West writing and doing day labor. Then in 1970 he returned to Boulder and took a night job as a custodian in Boulder, at the same school where he had gone as a boy. And during the daytime hours, he practiced writing.
Finally, Stephen Overholser had a sale. Zane Grey Magazine paid him $50 for a short story. And in 1972 he attended a WWA convention in Sheridan, Wyoming that changed his life. For it was there that he met August "Gus" Lenniger. The agent and long-time friend of WWA folks encouraged young Overholser to go ahead and write the book on Cattle Kate. Steve took his advice, sold the book to Doubleday, and became a full-time writer in 1973.
His first novel, A Hanging in Sweetwater, won the WWA Spur Award for best novel of 1974. He also is the author of Search for the Fox (Doubleday, 1976), Field of Death (Doubleday, 1977), Track of a Killer Walker & Co., 1982), Wild West Rider (Bantam, 1985), and a series of books featuring a female heroine, Molly Owens, who works as an investigator for a railroad company: Molly and the Confidence Man (1975), Molly and the Gold Baron (1981), Molly on the Outlaw Trail (1982), Molly and the Indian Agent (1982), Molly and the Railroad Tycoon (1983) and Molly and the Gambler (1984).
Overholser's short stories have been published in Zane Grey Western magazine, Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, Anataeus, and in the Arbor House Treasury of Great Western Stories. He edited a collection of short fiction, Roundup (Doubleday, 1982). Besides his long involvement in WWA, he is also a member of Private Eye Writers of America, Authors League of America, and of the Authors Guild.
Stephen Overholser once told Jean Mead, "Steady production is the only key to success I've ever come across.... The people who sit down and try to write a book and think that it's going to be the master work of all time, are just not being realistic. Every time I finish a book, I'm a little bit better writer in learning something I didn't know before. I learned by experience. So I keep thinking, the more books I write, the better I'm getting."
Wayne D. Overholser
(Deceased)
Wayne D. Overholser was born in Pomeroy, Wash. on Sept. 4, 1906. He died in Boulder, Colorado, on August 27, 1996, at the age of 89. He received his B.S. from the University of Oregon. He worked as a teacher and then as a high school principal until he was able to become a full-time writer in 1945. He was a charter member of the WWA and the father of WWA member Stephen Overholser.
Over the years Wayne D. Overholser wrote not only under his own name but also as John S. Daniels, Lee Leighton, Dan J. Stevens and Joseph Wayne. Bill Pronzini and Martin Greenberg edited on book on Overholser's career called, The Best Western Stories of Wayne D. Overholser (Southern Illinois University Press).
Under the name of Dan. J. Stevens he wrote Oregon Trunk (1950), Wild Horse Range (1951), Blood Money (1956), Hangman's Mesa (1959), Gun Trap at Bright Water (1963), Land Beyond the Law (1964), Stage to Durango (1977), Deadline (1966), Killer from Owl Creek (1967), Stranger in Rampart (1968), The Dry Fork Incident (1969), and Hunter's Moon (1973).
Under the pseudonym of John S. Daniels, Wayne D. Overholser wrote Gunflame (1952), The Nester (1953), The Land Grabbers (1955), The Man from Yesterday (1957), Smoke of the Gun (1958), Ute Country (1959), The Gunfighters (1961), The Crossing (1963), Trail's End (1964), The Hunted (1965), War Party (1966), The Day the Killers Came (1968), The Three Sons of Adam Jones (1969).
Under the name of Joseph Wayne he wrote The Sweet and Bitter Land (1950), The Snake Stomper (1951), By Gun and Spur (1952), The Colt Slinger (1954), The Long Wind (1953), Bunch Grass (1954), The Return of the Kid (1955), Showdown at Stony Creek (with Lewis B. Patten, 1957), Pistol Johnny (1960), The Gun and the Law (with Lewis B. Patten, 1961), Land of Promises (1962), The Bad Man (1962), Proud Journey (1963), Deadman Junction (1964), Red is the Valley (1967).
Under the pseudonym of Lee Leighton, Wayne D. Overholser wrote Law Man (1953), Beyond the Pass (1956), Tomahawk (with Lewis B. Patten, 1958), Colorado Gold (with Chad Merriman, 1958), Fight for the Valley (1960), Gut Shot (1962), Big Ugly (1966), Hanging at Pulpit Rock (1967), Bitter Journey (1969), Killer Guns (1969), You'll Never Hang Me (1971), Cassidy (1973), Greenhorn Marshal (1974).
Books which carried Wayne D. Overholser's own name include Buckaroo's Code (1947), West of the Rimrock (1949), Gun Crazy (1950), Draw or Drag (1950), Steel to the South (1951), Fabulous Gunman (1952), Valley of Guns (1953), The Violent Land (1954), Tough Hand (1954), High Grass Valley (1955), A Long Shadow (with William M. Raine, 1955), Gunlock (1956), The Lone Deputy (1957), Desperate man (1957), Hearn's Valley (1958), War in Sandoval County (1960), The Judas Gun (1960), Standoff at the River (1961), The Killer Marshal (1961), The Bitter Night (1961), The Trial of Billy Peale (1962), A Gun for Johnny Deere (1963), To the Far Mountains (1963), Day of Judgment (1965), Brand 99 (1966), Ride into Danger (1967), Summer of the Sioux (1967), North to Deadwood (1968), Buckskin Man (1969), The Meeker Massacre (nonfiction with Lewis B. Patten, 1969), The Long Trail North (1972), The Noose (1972), Sun on the Wall (1973), Red Snow (1976), The Mason County War (1976), The Dry Gulcher (1977), The Trouble Kid (1978), The Diablo Ghost (1978), The Cattle Queen Feud (1979), Nightmare in Broken Bow (1980), Revenge in Crow City (1980) and Danger Patrol (1982).
Wayne D. Overholser's book Lawman, written under the pen name of Lee Leighton, won the Spur Award from the WWA as the best novel of 1954. He captured his second Spur the very next year in the same category with a book under his own name, The Violent Land. He received his third Spur from WWA for his 1969 juvenile novel, The Meeker Massacre (with Lewis Patten).
And at the 1989 WWA Convention in Portland, Oregon, Wayne D. Overholser was named the winner of the Saddleman Award for his outstanding contributions to the literature of the West. Due to health problems, Wayne was unable to be present. But his son, Stephen, accepted the Saddleman for him. Wayne Overholser died in 1996.
Ray Owens
(Deceased)Raydean Owens, cowboy poet, was born Aug. 26, 1934, in Brownfield, Texas. Although he has never had a full-time ranch job, he was around livestock (primarily horses) all of his life.
On Jan. 2, 1956 he was married to Verna Pounds in Artesia. Ray and Verna lived at 1305 E. Castleberry Road, Artesia, NM 88210. They kept a few horses and "tried to raise a good 'un or two now an' then". They had two sons and two granddaughters.
Ray Owens was a longtime resident of Artesia. He served in the United States Army. He was a Sales Manager in the Oil Industry until his retirement.He was a member of First Baptist Church for about 55 years. He was the Past President of the Optimist Club, a member of Jaycees and taught Dale Carnegie courses for 10 years. He was a member of the American Quarter Horse Association, was a speaker for the New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities, and was a nationally recognized Cowboy Poet.
Ray Owens began writing and reciting cowboy poetry in 1993. He performed throughout New Mexico, Arizona and West Texas. He was a featured performer at the Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering; the Arizona Cowboy Classics; Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering; Cowboy Christmas Gathering in Wickenburg, AZ.; the Bootheel Cowboy Poetry Fiesta; Superstition Mountain Gathering of Cowboy Poets; The Classics (Gilbert, AZ); The Festival of Cowboy Poets (Silver City, NM), and the National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration (Lubbock, TX).
His cassette tape, "Some Boots Are Made for Keepin'," was nominated by the Academy of Western Artists for Album of the Year in both 1997 and 1998. Ray Owens was one of the ten finalist nominees for "Male Poet of the Year" as chosen by the Academy of Western Artists in both 1999 and 2000.
It was a tradition, there for a few years, that several of us would get together during the National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock to celebrate those of us who were having a birthday close to that event. I took the following photo in 2005:
The "Birthday Brothers" -- Ray Owens (New Mexico), LeRoy Jones (Oklahoma)
and Rolf Flake (Arizona). Photo by Stan Paregien Sr., 2005.Ray Owens died in the local hospital in Artesia, New Mexico on April 6, 2007.
CLICK HERE to go to Ray Owens' own web site.
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.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,
but have not love, I gain nothing.
--- Bible: I Corinthians 13:3
© 2007 by Stan Paregien, Sr.
