Fawcett Publications - The Fawcett Family

The Fawcett Family

Captain Billy and Claire Fawcett had four sons and a daughter: Roger, Wilford, Marion Claire, Gordon Wesley and the youngest, Roscoe. As a boy, Roscoe Kent Fawcett (February 7, 1913 – December 23, 1999) attended Minneapolis schools and was assigned tasks such as dusting furniture and beach cleaning at his father's Breezy Point Resort before he became a vice president and circulation manager for the family publishing company. After Captain Billy's death, his sons, including Roscoe Fawcett, managed the Breezy Point Resort for a short time before they sold it. However, Roscoe Fawcett also maintained his own private hunting retreat, the Tsawhawbitts Lodge (pronounced Cha-ha-bich), in Jarbidge, Nevada. This two acre (8,000 m2) riverfront bed and breakfast estate, now valued at $1 million, has 7,500 square feet (700 m2) of living area in three buildings—the seven-bedroom log house, the guest house with garage and shop, and the party house with full kitchen, bar and barbecue patio.

Roscoe Fawcett was a veteran of World War II, serving in the anti-aircraft division of the U.S. Army, and later was in charge of entertainment for Camp Haan in Riverside, California. He was married twice, had four sons and died at the age of 86 in Brainerd, Minnesota. One of his sons, Roscoe Fawcett Jr., became the publisher of American Fitness magazine.

Born in Minneapolis in 1912, Gordon Fawcett graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1934. He married Vivian Peterson in 1935 and moved to Los Angeles where he was Fawcett Publications' office manager. He held the title of secretary-treasurer when the company moved to Greenwich, Connecticut in 1940, and he was 81 when he died in West Palm Beach, Florida, on January 16, 1993. Gordon Fawcett had four children: Vivian Creigh of Springfield, Vermont, and his three sons, Dennis of Greenwich; David of Stuart, Florida; and Gordon Jr. of San Diego. Fawcett Publications was very much a family affair, as indicated by a list of the company's stockholders: Claire Sue Bagg, James Wesley Bagg, Marion Fawcett Bagg, William Bagg, Gordon W. Fawcett, Helen Aline Fawcett, John Fawcett, John Roger Fawcett, Mary Blair Fawcett, Blair Redding Fawcett, Michael Blair Fawcett, Roger K. Fawcett, Roscoe Kent Fawcett, Marie F. Fawcett, Thomas Knowlton Fawcett, Vivian D. Fawcett, W.H. Fawcett, Jr., W.H. Fawcett III, William Blair Fawcett, Mrs. Virginia Kerr, Mira King, Gloria Fawcett Leary and Mrs. Eva Roberts. Internet consultant Travis Fawcett, living in San Diego, is the son of John Roger Fawcett. Wilford Hamilton "Buzz" Fawcett IV is an attorney in Washington D.C.

Fawcett Publications had offices at 67 West 44th Street in Manhattan where vice-president Roger Fawcett liked to show visitors around the publishers' penthouse and serve them drinks dispensed through the gold penis of a nude male statue. Roger Fawcett felt a family history was needed, and in 1970, he began writing Notes on the Fawcett Family:

On April 27, 1885, Wilford Hamilton Fawcett was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. His was to be a life of fantastic pleasure. Not that it didn't have a moment here and there of interruption, but his flow of life was always to have a great time. Here today and gone tomorrow!

His parents, Maria B. Neilson and Dr. John Fawcett gave birth to eight children – six boys and two girls of which Wilford was the third born. John W. Fawcett, the firstborn was a newspaper reporter for the Chicago Tribune when, at the age of 30, he was killed in an automobile crash. Gordon only lived two years. Roscoe the fourth born pretty much ran the publishing business from 1923 to 1936 for his older brother, who was off on an African safari, around the world by boat for months, etc.

The fifth and sixth children were the two girls, Margaret and Eva. Margaret begot two girls and Eva two sons and one girl. Although both mothers are now gone, all the children are wise and healthy.

Clarence Fawcett was the only child that didn't match up. All the others were quite successful in life. He was a streetcar motorman in Portland, Oregon. Had two sons, Leland and Robert. One became a supermarket manager and the other opted for a career in the Army Air Force.

Harvey, the youngest and really smart – too smart for his own good – became father's business manager until my old man found him taking a dollar commission for each ton of paper purchased. Fired he was. Harvey then successfully published a magazine called The Calgary Eye Opener.

My younger son, Tom, asked me a year or so ago if his grandfather was a genius. I answered no, but he was brilliant. I also said that Tom's great grandfather, Dr. John, was a near genius if not one. He not only was a doctor of medicine, incidentally, he brought me into this world, but he plied the first steamship on the Red River of the North bringing wheat from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Fargo, North Dakota from which the wheat was taken to Minneapolis by rail to be processed.

Dr. John was also Superintendent of all schools in Winnipeg for several years. He had on the drawing board an airplane before the Wright Brothers, but a trip to England failed to secure the needed financing.

Maybe his most memorable undertaking was organizing 150 men to travel over land to Alaska from Ontario during the Gold Rush. It was doomed to failure. About two-thirds of the way, the caravan encountered forty degree below weather, heavy snows and hurricane winds. Before the expedition retraced their steps, about 25 men were already lost; another 30 died before reaching their Ontario homes.

In keeping with his flamboyant personality, Wilford ran away from home at the age of sixteen to enlist in the N.A. Army which was then involved in the Philippine insurrection. He had to lie about his age as the requirements were eighteen years. At this time the family lived in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

In no time at all, the young soldier was on the way by ship to Mindanao, Philippines. The war lasted about two years, but father was discharged six months early due to a bad wound in his right leg that became infected, and the curing of same was beyond the ability of the army doctors. He was also uncomfortable due to a bad case of dysentery. The year was 1900.

Wilford left the Philippines by ship to San Francisco determined to have a last fling before the infection proved fatal. He had $5,000 cash comfortably in his pocket. This as a result, when off duty, making moonshine up in the hills to be easily sold to his fellow soldiers and $5,000 in those days is equivalent to roughly $50,000 now.

After landing in San Francisco, he journeyed around the South and finally landed in New Orleans, Louisiana. While shooting the bull in a bar one night, it was suggested he contact a country doctor a few miles out of the city. It was said that the man had great success with infections using mostly a variety of herbs. Of course he would try anything and sure enough in a few treatments over two weeks was fully cured. By this time though, most of his $5,000 had been used up. Wilford decided to hitchhike for home in North Dakota. Took about 5 days and he arrived home in darkness afraid to confront his father, who I understand was quite a stern taskmaster. The first night was spent in the haystack in the family barn.

As morning arrived, he saw his brother Roscoe outside and motioned him to the barn. After interrogation, Roscoe convinced his older brother that their father had long forgiven Bill and was actually somewhat proud of one who would join the army at a tender age. So, the reunion was joyfully made.

That fall, Wilford returned to finish high school and became the standout football player in Grand Forks. He was a 180 lb (82 kg) running halfback who led the team to the North Dakota State Championship. North and South Dakota were always fiercely competitive so a game with South Dakotas champs was arranged to be played in Sioux Falls. At my father's urging, his team bet all the money they had upon North Dakota. It was no contest. The score was 48-0 and the star was "Chinaman" Fawcett. His teammates hung the nickname on him.

The team was not to return North until the next day. So, with their new found money, a night on the town was a sure thing. It wound up in the local whorehouse where a good time was had by all. But the coaches heard about the escapade and reported to the school principal, who notified the parents and banished the players for one week. Father also said it was well worth it. He believed the coaches were just jealous that they were not invited along.

Father married Viva Claire Meyers, from the small town of Hawarden, Iowa in 1906 at the age of 21. Mother was the same age. The marriage produced five children – Marion and Wilford, Jr., twins, Roger, Gordan and Roscoe in that order. This union lasted about twelve years and father had two more marriages – Mother none. We children lived with Mother nine months of the year and Father the three months of school's summer vacation.

Wilford enlisted at Fort Snelling, St. Paul for World War I and spent the duration at Camp Georgia. He rose to the rank of Captain where his name, Captain Billy came from. As he had been a reporter on the Minneapolis Tribune, he liked to write and it was in his blood. Incidentally, Floyd Gibbons, who wore a patch over one eye, was on the paper at the same time. He was fired and then landed a job on the Chicago Tribune who later sent him to Europe as a war correspondent where he became— —Roger Fawcett – Notes on the Fawcett Family

Because of his cancer, Roger Fawcett stopped writing his family history at that point, and he did not return to it. PIPL: Travis Fawcett