Even if you don’t recognize Fred Gipson by name, it’s a rare Texas who doesn’t remember his 1956 novel, Old Yeller.
Fred Gipson, who became a beloved American author and screenwriter, began life as a farmboy in Mason, Texas. Fred was born February 7, 1908 and worked a variety of farming and ranching jobs before he studied for a few semesters at the University of Texas before becoming a newspaper journalist.
It wasn’t until sometime in the 1940s that Gipson began writing short stories. Having grown up in west Texas, he was no stranger to the western genre that was popular in those days. He wrote many novels, but is best remembered for Old Yeller, which won the Newbery honor and was made into a Disney movie in 1957. Set in his native Texas Hill Country just after the Civil War, Old Yeller tells the story of a 14-year-old boy who is left to run the farm and protect the family while his father is away with the help of a stray dog that soon warms his way into the heart of the family.
Like Old Yeller, Gipson’s vivid characters seem to spring to life, leaping out of the pages and into the hearts of readers.
Gipson considered Old Yeller his finest work.
Fred Gipson passed away on August 14, 1973.
