Debra Joan Buck
(a.k.a. Penny Anna Buck)
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Author of "The Adventures Of Purdy Peacock"
Director and Co-founder of the
Peacock Information Center
Debra Joan Buck was born in Harlan, Iowa. She was raised in the country near Persia, Avoca, Hancock, and Minden, Iowa. She attended country school near Persia, Iowa, grade school in Hancock, Iowa and Minden, Iowa and graduated High School at Shelby, Iowa in 1970.
She is the daughter of Lowell Henry Buck and Phyllis Joan Freeman Buck and had two older brothers, Randall Lowell Buck and Rodney William Buck and one younger sister, Crystal JoNae Buck.
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As a child she worked weeding bean fields and detasseling corn. And in high school she organized and ran her own bean weeding crew. She also worked at a restaurant called Kopper Kettle near Minden, Iowa as a dishwasher and waitress. After graduating high school, she worked at the local grocery store called The Blue and White and at a Standard Oil gas station pumping gasoline and diesel fuel and working the cash registers in Minden and Shelby, Iowa.
Later, she worked at Cargill Animal Health in Omaha, Nebraska where they sold animal health products all over the United States to farmers and farm businesses. When she got married to Dennis Michael Fett in 1980, she helped take care of her mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer five years earlier. Her mother died July 2, 1984 after doctors gave her too much chemotherapy which enlarged her heart at the age of 56.
Debra was a contestant in the Mrs. Iowa Pageant which was part of the Mrs. America Pageant. She had a wonderful time and it was a memorable highlight of her life.
She later went to work as a church secretary for the Minden, Iowa United Church of Christ from 1988-2021 and retired after 33 years of service.
While courting she was given a runt pig that she named Blossom that drowned in a large bucket of water. After that she was given a second runt pig named Charly who grew to be about 800 pounds until his death in 1981.
After that her husband Dennis Fett asked what she wanted next and she said “peacocks”. He acquired three eggs from a local zoo and Debra Buck incubated them. One of the three eggs hatched and it was named Junior. Junior was quite the spoiled baby and would cry if not with people. Junior would jump on Debra’s arm and shoulder and was very tame and a great pet. Junior died unexpectedly and was taken to a veterinarian to see why. It was then it was discovered that Junior was a girl and had died from a bad heart. Debra then referred to Junior as Juniorette.
It was then decided that the couple wanted more peacocks and drove to Nebraska and got five peacocks. After a lot of research, they learned that these were called India Blue peacocks and Juniorette had been a female Black Shoulder peacock. They then learned there were white peacocks and got five of those, too.
The couple was hooked on peacocks and marveled at their beauty and grace and in 1986 their first book titled The Wacky World of Peafowl was written. It sold like hot cakes and people begged for more. In 1990 The Wacky World of Peafowl, Volume 2 was introduced and paid for with pre-published sales. Following that the couple published a bi-monthly newsletter on peafowl called the Peafowl Report for 22 years. Debra Joan Buck’s father wrote poems for their newsletter which he enjoyed thoroughly. Lowell Henry Buck died of a heart attack January 31, 1993 at the age of 71.
With Buck's musical talents and abilities, she collaborated and wrote a peacock song called, "The Wacky Peacock". Dennis Fett her husband wrote the music and Buck wrote the words. They were invited to be a guest on a national talk show on the Lifetime channel called "Attitudes" starring Linda Dano and Dee Kelly in New York City in May 21, 1990.
Buck and her husband were nominated for Iowa Entrepreneur of the Year 1991 and 1992
Debra Joan Buck’s photograph was in Bird Talk Magazine and in addition she was a freelance photographer for Bird Talk Magazine with many of her photos published.
Computers were beginning to be introduced in the mid 1990’s and Buck & Fett had an Internet web page on peacocks and finally bought their own computer so that they were able to manage the page. Buck & her husband Fett named their web page peafowl.com in 1996.
The Wacky World of Peafowl DVD was launched in 2006 and they released The Wacky World of Peafowl DVD Volume 2 in 2011.
In 2007, it was discovered that Buck had lost a major part of her sight in one eye due to her optic nerve being damaged by high pressure inside the eye. She was told that she would go totally blind in that eye and that her other eye was in danger of the same thing.
Debra Joan Buck decided to write stories about events that happened during her lifetime. She introduced the character called Purdy Peacock and wrote and narrated numerous stories that are based on true things that have happened in her life.
Purdy Peacock tells about how poor he was as a child, about spooky happening that happened as a teenager and as an adult. Mysteries abound everywhere.
It is her hope that the stories about her life will be enjoyed by people of all ages and that they will be enjoyed for many years to come.
In 2014, Fett & Buck created Mr. Peacock and friends the peacock web TV series all about peacock/peafowl.
In 2016, Fett & Buck created Mr. Peacock and friends, hidden treasures. This web TV travel series finds Mr. & Mrs Peacock exploring not well known places around the country side.
In 2017, Fett & Buck created a new web series called a Peacock Minute
In 2019, Fett & Buck created a new web series called a Story Time
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Debra Joan Buck making her national TV Talk show and singing debut.
The following video clip requires the viewer to have Quicktime movie player installed on your computer.
Click this or the photo to View a Quicktime movie of Debra Joan Buck's Attitudes Talk Show appearance
This video clip is used with permission from Lifetime Television and Lifetime Entertainment Services. We are very grateful to Lifetime for allowing us to share this wonderful vintage clip of us on the Attitudes Talk show with all our web viewers.
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Debra Joan Buck trying to do stands up for the video clip "Peacocks Yelling #13
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It was fun putting this short collection of some of the funniest moments of Debra Joan Buck doing stand ups for the Wacky World Of Peafowl DVD Volume 2.
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Debra Joan Buck in her co-creation, The Wacky Peacock music video released in June of 2006.
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Debra Joan Buck and her peacock ghost friend (or is it?) will definitely get your mind thinking about what was floating around her head. Could it be ghosts, or orbs, or could it just be dust? You decide because we don't know.
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Below is the list of all the TV shows, magazines, newspapers and radio features done on Debra Joan Buck and her peafowl.
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Television Appearances
Good Morning America 7-12-94
NBC Today Show 3-23-94
Hard Copy 7-20-90
Attitudes (Lifetime Cable Talk Show Starring Linda Dano & Dee Kelly) 5-21-90
Wildlife/Human Nature (Australian worldwide syndicated Animal show starring Olivia Newton John) 4-7-97
CBS's Prime Time Pets
Real News for Kids (syndicated kids show) 9-18-93
Iowa Public TV "Take One"
America Today TV (short stories syndication)
Fox News Channel "Pet News Show" 1-1996, Starring Brian Kilcommuns
The 700 Club 6-5-98
"Amazing Animals Videos" Animal Planet 1-9-03
Videomax (syndicated kids show)
KCTV, Kansas City, MO. 12-29-87
KETV, Omaha, NE.
KMTV, Omaha, NE
WOWT/TV, Omaha, NE.
WHO/TV, Des Moines, IA 7-19-94
KCCI/TV, Des Moines, IA. 8-16-94
KWOC/TV, Davenport, IA.
KTIV/TV, Sioux City, IA. 7-1988
RFD TV satellite network news, 1-1990 Omaha, NE.
Mentioned during live chat on "LIVE" with Regis and Kathie Lee talk show
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Radio Appearances
National Public Radio
"All Things Considered" and
"Weekend Edition", Saturday
"Pulse of the Planet" (short stories syndication)
KFAB Radio, Omaha, NE.
WOW Radio, Omaha, NE
WHO Radio, Des Moines, IA.
KMA Radio, Shenandoah, IA.
KNOD Radio, Harlan, IA
KKAR Radio, Omaha, NE.
Iowa Farm Bureau Radio
Radio Iowa
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Magazines:
Animal Fair
Time Magazine
Vogue Magazine
First, For Women
National Wildlife Magazine
Writer's Digest
Discover Magazine
Mother Earth Magazine
Dun & Bradstreet Reports
Guideposts
Organic Gardening
Country America
Midwest Living
New Business Opportunities
Buzzworm
Weekly Reader
San Diego Home/Garden Magazine
Happiness/TV Guide
Your Health
Pet Business
NBC TV Newsletter/Forcast
Gefluge-Borse-West Germany Publication
Ein Herz Fur Tier/West Germany Publication
Midway Airline Publication
Country
The Iowa Farm Show
Successful Farming
Partners
The High Plains Journal
Bird Talk
Home Magazine
The Gazette Game Bird Magazine
The Poultry Press
National Poultry News
APWS
Wings and Hooves
Pet Health News
DVM Magazine
Pet Industry
Poultry Digest
GRIT
Cappers
Pig Tale Times
National Examiner
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Newspapers:
USA Today, Arlington, VA.
New York Times, NY
Wasington Post, Washington, D.C.
Associated Press
Star-Tribune, Pasadena, CA.
Newport News Daily Press, Newport, VA.
Arkansas Democrat, Little Rock ARK.
St Paul Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN.
The Miami Herald, Miami, Fla.
The Beacon Journal, Medina, Ohio
The Omaha World Herald, Omaha, NE.
The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, IA.
The Milwaukee Journal Green Sheet Milwaukee, WI.
Iowa Farm Bureau
Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, N.M.
The Nonpareil, Council Bluffs, IA.
Harlan Tribune, Harlan, IA.
The Daily News Transcript, Needham, MA
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Internet News:
TheStreet.com 7-28-09
Musicians and Song Writers
Songs written:
I've Found Time for Love
The Wacky Peacock
Music written by Dennis Michael Fett
Lyrics written by Debra Joan Buck.
We made our national television debut singing the peacock song on "Attitudes" Lifetime Cable Talk Show.
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Nominated for Iowa Entrepreneur of the Year 1991 and 1992