Pat Boone

== Personal life ==
In November 1953, when he was 19 years old, Boone married Chicago-born<ref>Ancestry Library Edition{{verify source|date=December 2022}}</ref> [[Tennessee]]an Shirley Lee Foley (April 24, 1934 – January 11, 2019<ref name="Shirley Boone death">{{cite news|last=Goldstein|first=Joelle|title=Pat Boone's Wife of 65 Years, Shirley, Dies: 'I've Parted with My Better Half for a Little While'|url=https://people.com/music/pat-boone-wife-shirley-dies-at-84|access-date=January 12, 2019|work=People|date=January 11, 2019}}</ref>), also 19 years old, daughter of country music great [[Red Foley]] and his wife, singer [[Judy Martin (singer)|Judy Martin]]. They had four daughters: [[Cherry Boone|Cheryl "Cherry" Lynn]], Linda "Lindy" Lee, [[Debby Boone|Deborah "Debby" Ann]], and Laura "Laury" Gene. Starting in the late 1950s, Boone and his family were residents of [[Teaneck, New Jersey]].<ref>Staff. [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/2068855972.html?FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Jun+16%2C+1958&author=&pub=Daily+Boston+Globe+(1928-1960)&desc=Kings+for+A+Day&pqatl=google "Kings for A Day"], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107213618/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/2068855972.html?FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Jun+16%2C+1958&author=&pub=Daily+Boston+Globe+(1928-1960)&desc=Kings+for+A+Day&pqatl=google |date=November 7, 2012}} ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', June 16, 1958. Retrieved March 30, 2011. "Singer Pat Boone and family leave Leonia, NJ home for church. Front, Cherry, 3 1/2; Debbie, 1 1/2, and Linda, 2 1/2."</ref> Shirley Boone was a lesser-known recording artist and television personality than her husband. She also founded a hunger-relief Christian ministry that evolved into [[Mercy Corps]].<ref name="Shirley Boone death" /> She died in 2019, aged 84, at the couple's Beverly Hills home from complications from [[vasculitis]], which she had contracted less than a year earlier.<ref name="Shirley Boone death" />

=== Religion ===
Boone grew up in the [[Churches of Christ|Church of Christ]].<ref name="religion">{{cite web|title=The religion of Pat Boone, singer|url=http://www.adherents.com/people/pb/Pat_Boone.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050731090423/http://www.adherents.com/people/pb/Pat_Boone.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 31, 2005|website=Adherents.com|access-date=June 6, 2010}}</ref> In the 1960s, Boone's marriage to Shirley Foley nearly came to an end because of his use of alcohol and his preference for attending parties. However, after coming into contact with the [[Charismatic Movement]], Shirley began to focus more on her religion and eventually influenced Pat and their daughters to have a similar religious focus.<ref>{{cite book|last=Neitz|first=Mary Jo|title=Charisma and Community: A Study of Religious Commitment Within the Charismatic Renewal|year=1987|publisher=Transaction Publishers|location=New Brunswick NJ|isbn=978-0-88738-130-0|page=76|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KrUr2ydLiwAC}}</ref> At the time they attended the Inglewood Church of Christ in [[Inglewood, California]].

In the spring of 1964, Boone spoke at a "Project Prayer" rally attended by 2,500 at the [[Shrine Auditorium]] in Los Angeles. The gathering, which was hosted by [[Anthony Eisley]], a star of ABC's ''[[Hawaiian Eye]]'' series, sought to flood the [[United States Congress]] with letters in support of mandatory [[school prayer]], following two decisions in 1962 and 1963 of the [[United States Supreme Court]] that struck down mandatory prayer as conflicting with the [[Establishment Clause]] of the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution]].<ref name="Pearson">{{cite news |author=Drew Pearson |authorlink1=Drew Pearson (journalist) |title=The Washington Merry-Go-Round |date=May 14, 1964 |hdl=1961/2041-50658 |hdl-access=free |via=American University Digital Research Archive}}</ref> Joining Boone and Eisley at the Project Prayer rally were [[Walter Brennan]], [[Lloyd Nolan]], [[Rhonda Fleming]], [[Gloria Swanson]], and [[Dale Evans]]. Boone declared, "what the communists want is to subvert and undermine our young people... I believe in the power of aroused Americans, I believe in the wisdom of our Constitution.... the power of God."<ref name="Pearson" /> It was noted that [[Roy Rogers]], [[John Wayne]], [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Mary Pickford]], [[Jane Russell]], [[Ginger Rogers]], and [[Pat Buttram]] had endorsed the goals of the rally and would also have attended had their schedules not been in conflict.<ref name="Pearson" />

In the early 1970s, the Boones hosted [[Bible study (Christianity)|Bible]] studies for celebrities such as [[Doris Day]], [[Glenn Ford]], [[Zsa Zsa Gabor]], and [[Priscilla Presley]] at their [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]] home. The family then began attending [[The Church on the Way]] in [[Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California|Van Nuys]], a [[International Church of the Foursquare Gospel|Foursquare Gospel]] megachurch pastored by [[Jack Hayford]].<ref name="Pat">{{cite magazine|last=Gilbreath|first=Edward|title=Why Pat Boone Went 'Bad'|url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1999/october4/9tb056.html|magazine=Christianity Today|access-date=October 4, 2009}}</ref>

On an April 22, 2016, broadcast of [[Fox News Radio]]'s ''[[The Alan Colmes Show]]'', Boone discussed an episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' that included a sketch entitled ''God Is a Boob Man''; the sketch parodied the film ''[[God's Not Dead 2]]'', in which Boone had a role.<ref name="Fox News Colmes 2016-04-22">[http://radio.foxnews.com/2016/04/22/pat-boone-the-fcc-should-punish-blasphemy Pat Boone: The FCC Should Punish Blasphemy], on ''[[The Alan Colmes Show]]''; published April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016</ref> He described the sketch as "[[blasphemy]]", stating that the [[Federal Communications Commission]] should forbid any such content, and that it should revoke the broadcast licenses of any "network, or whoever is responsible for the shows".<ref name="Fox News Colmes 2016-04-22" />

=== Politics ===
At a 1961 gathering at [[Pepperdine College]], Pat Boone said, "I would rather see my four girls shot and die as little girls who have faith in God than leave them to die some years later as godless, faithless, soulless communists."<ref>{{cite web |title=Kristin Kobes Du Mez > Quotes |website=[[Goodreads]] |url=https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/20374247.Kristin_Kobes_Du_Mez?page=5 |postscript=,}} quoting from {{cite book |author=Kristin Kobes Du Mez |authorlink=Kristin Kobes Du Mez |title=Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation |year=2020 |publisher=WW Norton |isbn=9781631495731}}</ref> <!-- <ref>{{cite web |author=David Dark |date=September 24, 2021 |title=Wolves in Shepherd's Clothing |website=Chapter 16 |url=https://chapter16.org/wolves-in-shepherds-clothing/}}</ref> -->

Boone supported [[Barry Goldwater]] in the [[1964 United States presidential election]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QfHXAAAAQBAJ&q=pat%20boone |title=When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics| isbn=9781107650282| last1=Critchlow| first1=Donald T.| date=October 21, 2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press }}</ref>

In the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election, Boone campaigned unsuccessfully for incumbent [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Ernie Fletcher]] with a recorded automated telephone message stating that the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] candidate [[Steve Beshear]] would support "every homosexual cause." As part of the campaign, Boone asked, "Now do you want a governor who'd like Kentucky to be another San Francisco?"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/11/kentucky_gop_pushing_antigay_message_in_final_days_of_gov_race.php|title=Kentucky GOP Pushing Anti-Gay Message in Final Days Of Gov Race|work=TPM Election Central|first=Eric|last=Kleefeld|date=November 4, 2007|access-date=November 5, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071105172656/http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/11/kentucky_gop_pushing_antigay_message_in_final_days_of_gov_race.php|archive-date=November 5, 2007}}</ref> On August 29, 2009, Boone wrote an article comparing American political liberalism to cancer, likening it to "black filthy cells".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/music/pat-boone-obamas-birth-certificate-will-be-proven-as-fake-by-september/|title=Pat Boone: 'Obama's Birth Certificate Will Be Proven As Fake By September'|date=June 26, 2014|website=Uproxx.com|access-date=January 22, 2019}}</ref>

In December 2009, Boone endorsed conservative Republican John Wayne Tucker's campaign in [[Missouri's 3rd congressional district]] against incumbent [[Russ Carnahan]] (D) in the 2010 midterm elections.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://johnwaynetucker.com/congress/campaign_endorsements.html|title=Pat Boone Endorses John Wayne Tucker for Congress|date=December 15, 2009|website=JohnWayneTucker.com|access-date=January 26, 2011}}</ref> In 2010, Boone endorsed Republican Clayton Trotter in the race for [[Texas's 20th congressional district]] with an ad campaign referencing his song "[[Speedy Gonzales (song)|Speedy Gonzales]]", about [[Speedy Gonzales|the Looney Tunes character]], which critics have characterized as offensive stereotypes.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Trotter-s-campaign-ad-had-to-be-an-inside-job-735873.php|title=Trotter's campaign ad had to be an inside job|author=Greg Jefferson|date=October 28, 2010|journal=San Antonio Express News|access-date=June 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/clayton-trotter-the-anglo-with-the-hispanic-heart/|title=Clayton Trotter: "The Anglo With The Hispanic Heart"|date=October 28, 2010|author=Kyle Mantyla|website=RightWingWatch|access-date=June 25, 2021}}</ref> Boone received a lifetime achievement award at the 38th annual [[Conservative Political Action Conference]] held in February 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://60plus.org/boone-honored-by-cpac-lifetime-achievement-award|publisher=[[60 Plus Association]] |title=Boone Honored By CPAC Lifetime Achievement Award|website=60plus.org|date=February 9, 2011|access-date=May 4, 2012}}</ref>

In June 2016, Boone, along with [[Mike Huckabee]] and executive producer Troy Duhon, all of whom were involved in the film ''[[God's Not Dead 2]]'', sent a letter to [[California]] Governor [[Jerry Brown]] in opposition to Senate Bill 1146,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1146|title=Bill Text – SB-1146 Discrimination: postsecondary education.|website=Leginfo.legislature.ca.gov|access-date=January 22, 2019}}</ref> which "prohibits a person from being subjected to discrimination" at California colleges. Other than schools that train pastors and theology teachers, schools "might no longer be allowed to hire Christian-only staff, teach religious ideas in regular classes, require attendance at chapel services, or keep bathrooms and dormitories restricted to either males or females."<ref>{{cite web|last=Bond|first=Paul|date=June 30, 2016|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gods-not-dead-2-filmmakers-907838|title=''God's Not Dead 2'' Filmmakers Wade into California Politics|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=August 24, 2016}}</ref>

=== Basketball ===
Boone is a basketball fan and had ownership interests in two teams. He owned a team in the Hollywood Studio League called the Cooga Moogas. The Cooga Moogas included [[Bill Cosby]], [[Rafer Johnson]], [[Gardner McKay]], [[Don Murray (actor)|Don Murray]], and [[Denny Miller|Denny "Tarzan" Miller]].<ref name="Remember the ABA">{{cite web|url=http://www.remembertheaba.com/Oakland-Oaks.html|title=Oakland Oaks|work=Remember the ABA|access-date=November 10, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223307/http://www.remembertheaba.com/Oakland-Oaks.html|archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref>

When the [[American Basketball Association]] began, Boone became the majority owner of the league's team in [[Oakland, California]], on February 2, 1967.<ref name="Remember the ABA" /> The team was first named the Oakland Americans, but was renamed the [[Oakland Oaks (ABA)|Oakland Oaks]], the name under which it played from 1967 to 1969.<ref name="Remember the ABA" /> The Oaks won the [[1969 ABA Playoffs|1969 ABA championship]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.remembertheaba.com/PlayoffPages/1969Playoffs.html|title=1968–69 ABA Regular Season Standings|work=Remember the ABA|access-date=November 10, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017202704/http://remembertheaba.com/PlayoffPages/1969Playoffs.html|archive-date=October 17, 2007}}</ref>

Despite the Oaks' success on the court, the team had severe financial problems. By August 1969, the [[Bank of America]] was threatening to foreclose on a $1.2 million loan to the Oaks,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.remembertheaba.com/VirginiaMaterial/OaksCapsSquiresYearly.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614055042/http://remembertheaba.com/VirginiaMaterial/OaksCapsSquiresYearly.html|archive-date=June 14, 2007|title=Oakland Oaks/Washington Caps/Virginia Squires Year-to-Year Franchise Notes|work=Remember the ABA |access-date=November 10, 2007}}</ref> and the team was sold to a group of businessmen in Washington, D.C., and became the [[Washington Caps]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.remembertheaba.com/VirginiaMaterial/SquiresRosters2.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626220240/http://www.remembertheaba.com/VirginiaMaterial/SquiresRosters2.html|archive-date=June 26, 2007|title=Oakland Oaks/Washington Caps/Virginia Squires Year-to-Year Rosters|work=Remember the ABA|access-date=November 10, 2007}}</ref>

Boone later played for the Virginia Creepers, an 80–84 age group [[Senior Olympics]] team that narrowly lost to the gold medal-winning team; Boone aged out (by turning 85) on June 1, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nsga-results.fusesport.com/ladder.asp?id=154999&seasonid=285|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614055042/https://nsga-results.fusesport.com/ladder.asp?id=154999&seasonid=285|archive-date=June 14, 2007|title=NSGA Basketball Results|work=NSGA|access-date=November 10, 2007}}</ref>