Author. Fred Gipson was born on a farm near Mason, Texas, balancing his early life between school and working on the family farm until 1933 when he enrolled in the University of Texas. He took a keen interest in journalism, writing for both the Daily Texan and the Ranger before quitting school to work as a reporter for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in 1937. He drifted from one newspaper job to another and began contributing stories to magazines, mostly Western pulps at first, but after awhile he started getting his articles into higher quality publications like Look and Liberty. His first novel, "The Fabulous Empire: Colonel Zack Miller's Story", was released in 1946 and was somewhat successful, but his follow-up "Hound-Dog Man" three years later sold over a quarter-million copies and was named a Book-of-the-Month Club selection. Encouraged by his first big hit, he wrote a series of novels continuing the Southwestern family theme: "The Home Place" (1950), "The Trail-Driving Rooster" (1955) and "Recollection Creek" (1955). However, it was his 1956 novel "Old Yeller" that established him as an author to be reckoned with. "Old Yeller", the story of a small Texas farming family and their dog, was made into a movie in 1957 by Disney and would go on to become a classic family film of the era. Gipson wrote a sequel, titled "Savage Sam", in 1962 and that too became a Disney film as well in 1963. He was the recipient of many writing accolades over his twenty year career, winning the first Sequoyah Book Award, among many others. After a short term serving as the president of the Texas Institute of Letters in the mid-sixties, he entered semi-retirement, marrying Angelina Torres in 1967. He died six years later at his ranch near Mason, near the spot where he was born, and by order of the governor was laid to rest in the Texas State Cemetery in recognition of his literary contributions to the state of Texas.
Author. Fred Gipson was born on a farm near Mason, Texas, balancing his early life between school and working on the family farm until 1933 when he enrolled in the University of Texas. He took a keen interest in journalism, writing for both the Daily Texan and the Ranger before quitting school to work as a reporter for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in 1937. He drifted from one newspaper job to another and began contributing stories to magazines, mostly Western pulps at first, but after awhile he started getting his articles into higher quality publications like Look and Liberty. His first novel, "The Fabulous Empire: Colonel Zack Miller's Story", was released in 1946 and was somewhat successful, but his follow-up "Hound-Dog Man" three years later sold over a quarter-million copies and was named a Book-of-the-Month Club selection. Encouraged by his first big hit, he wrote a series of novels continuing the Southwestern family theme: "The Home Place" (1950), "The Trail-Driving Rooster" (1955) and "Recollection Creek" (1955). However, it was his 1956 novel "Old Yeller" that established him as an author to be reckoned with. "Old Yeller", the story of a small Texas farming family and their dog, was made into a movie in 1957 by Disney and would go on to become a classic family film of the era. Gipson wrote a sequel, titled "Savage Sam", in 1962 and that too became a Disney film as well in 1963. He was the recipient of many writing accolades over his twenty year career, winning the first Sequoyah Book Award, among many others. After a short term serving as the president of the Texas Institute of Letters in the mid-sixties, he entered semi-retirement, marrying Angelina Torres in 1967. He died six years later at his ranch near Mason, near the spot where he was born, and by order of the governor was laid to rest in the Texas State Cemetery in recognition of his literary contributions to the state of Texas.
Bio by: Screwtape
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Fred Gipson
Feb. 8, 1908 – Aug. 14, 1973
His books are his monument.
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