Novelist Fetty has best of 2 worlds
Campus Times
February 6, 1998
English instructor Carol Fetty admires a framed column she wrote at
the age of 15. Fetty received her first professional writing experience
writing for cinema magazines.
Starting her senior year in high school at the age of 15, Carol Welchel
Fetty, instructor of English and Honors, has rubbed elbows with public icons
such as Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, George Burns and James Stewart.
Fetty started her adult life young and eager. At the ripe age of 16
and with a high school diploma, she received three offers to be a magazine
writer. Of the three, she chose the "best one," making her "the
youngest nationally published U.S. writer," she said.
Her job was a dream. Hillman Periodicals offered Fetty the chance
at film star interviews as well as a column on fan clubs.
"Those fan clubs were big business back then," said Fetty.
On her first day, she was told that the reporter assigned to cover a
lunch with actor Errol Flynn was not present. Fetty was told to take the
reporter's place for a lunch interview with one of the hottest actors of
the time.
Covering interviews and meeting stars was "exciting," as Fetty
put it. However, with time, she decided to get married and settle down.
Her love for writing was still present, attracting her to do free-lance
writing as well as writing in several newspapers.
Fetty also wrote "Confessions of True Stories," a column "slanted
toward rural high school educated audiences.
"I have hundreds in print," she said.
Currently as instructor of English, she finds amusement in her students'
interests of her past. "Some like to hear about the stars I've met.
Some don't know who these people are and they don't care."
Among the people with whom she maintained a friendship was Reagan.
In 1981, Fetty was struck by a paralytic illness which sent her to the
hospital. While in the hospital, a letter from the White House arrived.
The letter wished for her recovery and was signed by President Reagan.
"The nurses couldn't believe the letter was from the White House,"
she chuckled.
Wayne similarly knew Fetty before her column was printed. Wayne and
Fetty were neighbors while she was young. Once she got into her writing,
Fetty reunited with Wayne once again.
"He was a really nice man," she said.
However, nothing is of more interest to her students than finding out
pseudonyms Fetty has used in the past for some of her novels.
She has been asked time and time again about her pseudonyms. She simply
replies, " What good is having a PIN number if all you are going to
do is give it away?"
Fetty, having a "mild success" in her novel writing, says
her stories are never sex-oriented. Instead, they are the type of stories
in which the reader encourages the main character.
At the present time, Fetty works on three serious projects. Aside from
classes and advising Prism, La Verne's literary art magazine, Fetty
maintains a busy lifestyle allowing little time for her past time-writing.
Junior Darla Schunk, co-editor of Prism, says Fetty is not only
her adviser but her "best friend."
"She helps me as much as she can. If anyone needs help, she drops
what she is doing to help them," Schunk said.
According to Schunk, Fetty has a "mystique" about her novel
writing. She enjoys writing under pseudonyms and telling her students to
"read several books and figure out which belong to [Fetty]," Schunk
said.
At the University, Fetty has volunteered her time and efforts for the
students. She and her husband have established an endowed scholarship for
physically challenged students as well as sponsoring an Honors essay scholarship
for Honors students.
Fetty was named Grand Marshall of the 1997 Homecoming Parade after watching
it since the "mid '60s" she said.
According to Fetty, she has had the "best of both worlds."
A published writer, reporter, teacher and family woman, she agrees her life
has been "fun and very different."
