Pat Buttram is known by today's youth as the yodel-y voice in the Disney animated films The Rescuers, Robin Hood, The Fox and the Hound, The Aristocats and A Goofy Movie. To their parents, he's Mr. Haney, the hilarious con-man from Green Acres; and to their grandparents, he's Gene Autry's humorous sidekick. Pat was one of Hollywood's truest success stories. He lived his dream of making people laugh, winning honors from the The Pacific Pioneers Broadcaster's award all the way up to an Emmy, and everyone who knew him loved him. No one could keep an audience laughing as well as Pat could. Born in 1915, the seventh of eight children grew up to be one of the most...interesting voices in movies and television. This is his story, told for the first time by his many friends, family members and co-workers at Gene Autry Enterprises.
Writing about others is easier than writing about myself, so I would like to start out by publicly thanking my beautiful teacher at Grandin Court Elementary School in Roanoke, Virginia, for encouraging that awkward little kid to follow her dream and write stories. There have been many very kind people in my life, but Mrs. Sherman deserves an award for allowing me to read that day's offerings to my classmates each afternoon.
It couldn't have been easy for her. In retrospect, I realize those 1-2 page stories about everyday occurrences must have been awfully boring to her. Mrs. Sherman, I'd like for you to know that my writing style has improved since then.
Richmond Professional Institute (now known as Virginia Commonwealth University) gave me wonderful training in the secretarial realm, and it has served me well over the years. When not burning the midnight oil writing a book or article, I work as a church secretary; so that training is being used day and night. Being a secretary (nowadays referred to as an Administrative Assistant) is a key that opens many doors. As a secretary, I have seen firsthand behind-the-scenes operations in the aluminum industry, the worlds of insurance and banking, the medical field, a radio station, and churches, both large and small. I'd say my best education came from the six years I spent as a Legal Assistant to a personal-injury attorney. One learns much about human nature by being the liaison between the injured party and his lawyer.
After living all my life in Virginia, we moved to the southwest in 1980. The difference in the cultures of the two regions is vast, and I'm afraid I still haven't become properly southwesternized. Early training leaves a profound imprint on us for life, it seems.
As mother to two grown sons, I've found this to be the most fulfilling time of life. Please stop by my website at www.sandragrabman.com and say "Howdy!"
