Fred the Beavercorn

Gene Kirschbaum grew up in Beaver Dam, which for years was known by its welcoming sign: "The Home of 14,000 Busy Beavers." After high school, Gene climbed telephone poles, worked for a crop duster, sailed aboard an ocean-going high school, flew on F-111's, and served as an Air Force JAG. Retiring back to Beaver Dam, Gene still does a little legal work, writes a column for LocaLeben Magazine (Stump the Beaver) and he puts clothes on a wooden beaver almost every Sunday morning. One day, while he was dressing up the Beav, a flashy lady with long blonde hair in a VW convertible enquired: "Hey, when you were a little boy, did you play with dolls?" Gene is still trying to think of a more appropriate response than the one he uttered that Sabbath morning.