Wilson Rawls

Woodrow Wilson Rawls (September 24, 1913 – December 16, 1984) was an American writer best known for his books Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of the Monkeys.

[2] When Rawls was 16, the United States economy entered the Great Depression, prompting his family to leave their Oklahoma home for California; however, the family's convertible broke down near Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Rawls's father found a job at the nearby toothpaste factory.

During this term in prison, he worked to refine his writing skills, though he still felt that his lack of formal education meant that the novels were not fit for publication.

While working there, Rawls met his future wife, Sophie Ann Styczinski, a budget analyst for the Atomic Energy Commission.

Sophie assisted him in editing the manuscript and submitted it to the Saturday Evening Post, which published it in three parts under the title "The Hounds of Youth" in 1961.

Statue of characters in Where The Red Fern Grows at the Public Library in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Entitled "Dreams Can Come True" Wilson Rawls author of Where The Red Fern Grows.’ Sculpture by Marilyn Hoff Hansen.