To Rue McClanahan and her furry friends, fur traders are no heroes.

An animal rights group on Wednesday publicized a letter it said was written by the actress about the Chouteau Memorial Museum, which is dedi-cated to the life of an Oklahoma fur trader."As a native Oklahoman, I'd like to suggest you choose a less violent part of our past to glorify," said the letter, distributed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The museum, which focuses on the trading empire built by Auguste Pierre Chouteau, closed in 1993 and is to reopen June 21.

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Birthdays: For Thursday, May 15

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