From bradfordian's linked article:

“She got her stage name working at radio station KTUL, which had a 15-minute program sponsored by Page Milk Co. The regular Patti Page singer left and was replaced by Fowler, who took the name with her on the road to stardom.”

I think her first gig at KTUL, while still a teenager, was with Al Clauser and his Oklahoma Outlaws. Clauser, an Illinois native, had been on the WHO Barn Dance in Des Moines, Iowa, even taking his band to Hollywood to appear in a Gene Autry film. He eventually moved to Tulsa, OK, where Clara Ann Fowler (later Patti Page) sang with Clauser's band.

Clauser is thought to have coined the term “western swing.”

RIP, Patti. Ya done good.

      - Mark