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M::r. BOOIVE
(Continued)
Pat's a straight-A student. He wants to do whatever will help other people most, whether as a singer or a teacher.
It's a busy schedule Pat has to keep, as he kisses wife Shirley goodbye for the day, at their home in New Jersey.
completely out of my line. You know, I'm a 'pop' ballad singer. Never sang a rock 'n' roll number in my life."
But it was a "rock 'n' roll number" that helped zoom this handsome six-footer to the top of popularity polls within a year's time . . . "rock 'n' roll" plus Ted Mack and that well known man-about-talent, Arthur Godfrey. Now Pat's not only being seen frequently on TV, but he's also one of Dot Records' most promising artists. His combined mail, from the Godfrey shows and Dot Records, comes to some 1500 letters and picture requests a week . . . and handling the disc-company correspondence alone costs this 21-year-old $300 to $400 a month for pictures, postage and stenographic assistance in replying to his thousands of new-found friends.
"I don't seem to be able to get used to all this mail," grins Pat, his eyes opening wide in wonderment. "I used to think that people who were lucky enough to receive fan mail just received requests for pictures. And, of course, some of my mail is simply that. But a great deal of it is real honest-to-Pete letters. You know, telling me all about themselves . . . what they do, where they live, how they live, what they like . . . and asking me all about myself. And some of them carry on a correspondence with me just as they would with their best personal friends. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it makes me feel.
"My only regret is that I can't always answer them the way I'd like to . . . with long, newsy .letters like theirs. But, with my schedule of TV shows, recording sessions and a full curriculum at Columbia University, there just isn't enough time. Mostly, my replies have to be short. Maybe when I get my degree I'll have more time and be able to reply to these friends in the manner they deserve. In the meantime, I hope they'll understand and forgive me and know that I'm really grateful for their astonishing interest in me."
Having met and talked with this unassuming, softspoken and gracious Southerner, your writer is certain his fans will understand and stick by him for a year and a half until this straight-A student gets his teacher's degree. In case you're wondering what a top singer
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