Leanwolf, I attended my first writer's conference in 1978. By far, the best instructor there was a woman, probably then in her late 50s or early 60s, who had written for Gunsmoke for years. She was easily the best instructor at the conference. I returned to the same conference in Portland the next year as an instructor but she wasn't there. Packed in my files is a brochure from the first conference with her name and photo. I'd know the name if I heard it, but I can't think of it. Anyway, a wonderful lady. My mother passionately believed Marshall Dillon's buckskin was the best horse on television, and while I would devalue the horse for not having the confirmation appropriate to the era, how can one vote against one's late mother. The buckskin it is.
