Published: July 16, 2009 11:39 am      

Woman wins bid for lunch with Fuller

Newcastle, Okla. resident Genevia Fulton never missed a Tuesday evening episode of the 1960s western series Laramie.

So when Fulton found out the Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum was auctioning away lunch with the star at his favorite Gainesville restaurant, Sarah’s on the Square, she jumped at the chance to bid.

“At the silent auction, as soon as I saw one of the items was lunch with Robert Fuller, I stopped and started bidding,” Fulton said.

She was at the museum’s annual Gene Autry Film and Music Festival held each September in Gene Autry, Okla.

The event is both a tribute to the “Singing Cowboy” and a fund raiser for the museum.

The festival draws crowds to the small town near Ardmore, Okla. and includes films, exhibits, food and live shows.

Fulton and her friend, Sybil Williams, finally got to have their “Lunch with a Legend” at Sarah’s yesterday.

Fulton admitted she paid a generous amount for the priviledge of sitting down to lunch with Fuller.

But it was worth it, she said.

“I’ve been a fan of Robert Fuller for most of my life. This is just wonderful,” she said.

Fuller, a Cooke County resident, said he got involved in the fund raiser project after museum spokesman Mary Schultz asked him if he would be willing to spend a little time with a fan to help raise funds for the facility.

Volunteering his time for a good cause was apparently no problem.

“I am just thrilled to have lunch with these great ladies,” he said.

Fuller, local acting legend, is best known for starring roles on the popular 1960s western series Laramie and Wagon Train as well as his work in the 1970s medical drama Emergency!

He also appeared in numerous TV series such as “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “JAG,” “Loveboat,” “Wagon Train” and “Diagnosis Murder.”

His movie roles include Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Return Of The Seven. In April, 2007 Fuller was inducted into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Okla.