Wendy Winsted Explained

Wendy Winsted
Birth Date:September 1, 1947
Birth Place:Oklahoma
Death Date:1991
Occupation:Folksinger, songwriter, author

Wendy L. Winsted (September 1, 1947 – 1991) was an American folksinger and author. Marc Morrone credited Winsted with popularizing ferrets as pets in the United States in the mid-1970s.

Early life and education

Winsted was from Stillwater, Oklahoma, the daughter of Frank Arthor Winsted and Juanita June Preston Winsted.[1] Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father was the city manager of Ponca City, Oklahoma.[2] He also worked in the petroleum industry.[3] She attended Stillwater High School in Oklahoma. She was a pre-medical student at Hunter College in New York City, and working as a veterinary assistant,[4] when she began keeping skunks and later ferrets as pets, and breeding ferrets for sale.[5] She attended medical school at the University of Cincinnati.[6]

Musical career

After high school, Winsted was a folksinger and songwriter. She was friends with Jean Ray (of Jim and Jean) and Phil Ochs in New York City.[7] [8] In 1971, she opened for Paul Siebel at a coffeehouse in Buffalo, and played with Paul Geremia at Lehigh University.[9] [10] She played guitar and trumpet. She co-wrote a song, "Livin' in the Country", which was recorded by Tom Rush.[11]

Veterinary career

Winsted perfected the procedure for de-scenting young ferrets (by removing the anal scent sac and neutering males to eliminate their odor).[12] She introduced ferrets to numerous celebrities such as Dick Smothers and David Carradine and appeared on television numerous times with her own ferrets, including an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.[13] [14]

Winsted taught her method of de-scenting ferrets to several breeders and farms across the United States,[15] thereby making de-scented ferrets the standard for being sold at pet stores. She also endorsed skunks as pets, though she admitted it "takes a very special kind of person".

Publications

Personal life

Winsted died in the 1990s from ovarian cancer.

Notes and References

  1. News: 1960-08-30 . Wendy Winsted Injured in Crash . 2024-02-14 . The Ponca City News . 5 . Newspapers.com.
  2. News: 1960-09-28 . Wife of Former City Manager Dies . 2024-02-14 . The Ponca City News . 10 . Newspapers.com.
  3. News: 1994-11-23 . Winsted (death notice) . 2024-02-14 . The Daily Oklahoman . 126 . Newspapers.com.
  4. News: Flaste . Richard . October 1, 1973 . Despite Draw backs, the Skunk Has Its Friends . 2024-02-14 . The New York Times . 41 . en.
  5. News: Janis . Pamela R. . 1980-06-15 . Breeder of ferrets puts them at top of pet list . 2024-02-14 . Asbury Park Press . 170 . Newspapers.com.
  6. Book: Cooper, Gale . Animal people . 1983 . Boston : Houghton Mifflin . Internet Archive . 978-0-395-32198-0 . 117–118.
  7. Book: Schumacher, Michael . There But for Fortune: The Life of Phil Ochs . 2018-04-03 . U of Minnesota Press . 978-1-4529-5716-6 . 332–333 . en.
  8. Book: Eliot, Marc . Death of a rebel . 1979 . Garden City, N.Y. : Anchor Press . The Archive of Contemporary Music . 978-0-385-13610-5 . 261, 273.
  9. News: May 7, 1971 . UUAB Coffeehouse (advertisement) . Buffalo Spectrum . 23.
  10. News: October 14, 1971 . Lehigh . The Muhlenberg Weekly . 3.
  11. News: 1971-10-09 . Thursday . 2024-02-14 . The Morning Call . 34 . Newspapers.com.
  12. News: Marcus . Dave . 2009-03-07 . Ferret feud resolved . 2024-02-14 . Newsday . A6 . Newspapers.com.
  13. Book: Morrone . Marc . A Man for All Species: The Remarkable Adventures of an Animal Lover and Expert Pet Keeper . Ellis-Bell . Nancy . 2010-04-20 . Crown . 978-0-307-58966-8 . 74–75 . en.
  14. Book: Schilling, Kim . Ferrets For Dummies . 2011-04-04 . John Wiley & Sons . 978-1-118-05154-2 . 25 . en.
  15. News: Cutillo . Michael . 1982-07-11 . Cute as a ferret? Wayne County farm breeds exotic pet . 2024-02-14 . Democrat and Chronicle . 3, 4 . Newspapers.com.
  16. Book: Winsted, Wendy . Ferrets . 1983 . Neptune City, NJ : T.F.H. Publications . Internet Archive . 978-0-86622-829-9.
  17. Book: Winsted, Wendy . Ferrets in Your Home . 1990 . T.F.H. Publications . 978-0-86622-988-3 . en.

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