
Meet Pam – Southeastern Guide Dogs Volunteer
“My career was in acting, I started to act when I was six, and I acted and modeled all the way through until I was in my mid-forties. I did live TV commercials in my teens, then regular commercials in New York City and Chicago. I was in California working at Showtime Networks when Jane Fonda announced that she was leaving Hollywood because they didn’t cast women of her age—and she was my age. Well, if she couldn’t get work, how was I to get work? I mostly did commercials.; that’s what I was doing when I met my husband, Lyn.
When I left L.A., Lyn left the car business and we moved here. We tried real estate until he turned 70. And now we volunteer in the Puppy Kennel. We’ve gone to the dogs to get our dog fix!
I went back to acting and directing around town, and I’m still directing. I directed ‘Miracle Worker’ at Manatee Players. Miracle Worker takes place on Helen Keller’s farm. It needed a dog, so we used a Southeastern Guide Dogs ambassador dog named Squire who belongs to Mike Miller. He was a gem! His part was always to be with a young man who was on the farm. It was wonderful! We did it in the small theater and Squire did exactly what he was supposed to do. He never got distracted. He was terrific.”
Pam Wiley with her husband Lyn, Southeastern Guide Dogs volunteers
