Fred Gipson

Fred Gipson was born on a farm in the rural Texas Hill Country—a place that would serve as the setting for many of his novels. After studying at the University of Texas at Austin, Gipson became a journalist and wrote short stories on the side. His stories and early novels were set in Texas, and they often told stories of men and young boys navigating the hostile natural environment of the Wild West. Gipson’s novels had already been widely printed and adapted for the screen prior to the 1956 publication of Old Yeller—but the story of a young boy, Travis Coates, and his faithful “yeller” dog became a runaway hit when Walt Disney Studios adapted it into a film in 1957. Old Yeller, the recipient of the 1957 Newbery Medal and the 1959 William Allen White Children’s Book Award, has become a staple of children’s literature over the years. Gipson went on to write several more books, including two more about the Coates family.