Velma Wayne Dawson (May 30, 1912,

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

– September 26, 2007Palm Springs Cemetery District, "Interments of Interest"
/ref>) was an American

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

maker and

puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, called a puppet, to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from ...

. She was best known for creating

Howdy Doody ''Howdy Doody'' is an American Children's television series, children's television program (with circus and Western (genre), Western frontier themes) that was created and produced by Victor F Campbell

marionettes A marionette (; french: marionnette, ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed ...

for the ''Howdy Doody Show''. Dawson built only two classic Howdy Doody marionettes (Howdy and The Inspector John J. Fedoozle) for the famous children's show that began on December 27, 1947. She began by making all the prototypes with green felt hats, plaid shirts, white neckerchief and tan pants, made of cloth brown boots, brown hair and brown eyes. She continued to build the marionettes until the show went off the air in 1960. She was replaced in June 1952 by Rufus and Margo Rose, who complimented Scott Brinkers' puppet making for the show. ''Howdy Doody'' went off the air on September 24, 1960 after 2,343 shows. Dawson was honored by the

National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) is an American professional service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, edu ...

(NATAS) Pacific Southwest Chapter for her 50-year-long career in

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

. Additionally, she was honored with a Golden Palm Star on the

Palm Springs Walk of Stars The Palm Springs Walk of Stars is a walk of fame in downtown Palm Springs, California, where "Golden Palm Stars", honoring various people who have lived in the greater Palm Springs area, are embedded in the sidewalk pavement. The walk includes po ...

in 2000. She was an active benefactor to

College of the Desert College of the Desert (COD) is a public community college in Palm Desert, California. COD enrolls about 12,500 students, of which around one third attend college full-time. It serves the Coachella Valley of Riverside County. The college is federa ...

Palm Desert Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has been ...

. Her husband,

Johnny Dawson John W. Dawson (December 20, 1902 – January 6, 1986) was an American amateur golfer and golf course architect. Dawson was born in Chicago, Illinois. Although he was a lifelong amateur golfer, his amateur status was rescinded by the United State ...

, was a noted amateur golfer who designed and built several noted golf courses.

Death

Velma Wayne Dawson died on September 26, 2007, at her home in

Palm Desert, California Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has bee ...

at the age of 95. She is buried at the

Desert Memorial Park Desert Memorial Park is a cemetery in Cathedral City, California, United States, near Palm Springs. Opening in 1956 and receiving its first interment in 1957,The Palm Springs Cemetery District itself was covers 504 square miles, including Palm Spr ...

Cathedral City, California Cathedral City, colloquially known as "Cat City", is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. Situated between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, the city has the second larg ...

References

1912 births 2007 deaths 20th-century Australian people 21st-century Australian people 20th-century Australian women 21st-century Australian women American puppeteers Australian emigrants to the United States People from Sydney People from Palm Desert, California Burials at Desert Memorial Park {{US-entertainer-stub