Athanas, Verne.

William Verne Athanas (1917-1962) was born in Cleft, Idaho. His family moved to Oregon when he was very young.

"He graduated from Ashland High School in 1936, then married fellow graduate Alice Spencer. Along the way he slopped hogs, dug postholes, drove trucks, was a railroad brakeman, a gandy dancer, a service station attendant, a stationery salesman and more.

"[In]1946 he became a full-time writer. Athanas wrote many short stories for such magazines as Indian Stories, Railroad Magazine, Country Gentleman, Blue Book, Argosy, Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, Redbook, and Collier's. His stories were mainly about Oregon--its railroads, mountains, forests, logging industry and history. He was the author of three novels. 20th Century Fox bought the screenplay rights to his novel, The Proud Ones.

"[Athanas] served for several years on the membership committee of Western Writers of America. And he contributed several short stories to the series of WWA anthologies. And in the May, 1954 issue of The Roundup, Athanas said of himself: 'I don't remember when I learned to read, nor can I put a finger on the first time I wanted to write. I play the typewriter by ear. I wouldn't know a past participle if it crawled off the paper and bit me, and I expect if it could, it would.'"

Source: http://www.cowboydirectory.com/A/a--as.html

From the guide to the W. Verne Athanas papers, 1946-1962, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)