Category : Ink-Slinger Profiles

Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Heppner Blackman

Posted on: 25 January 2023 by CSH-Admin
Heppner “Hep” Blackman was born in Heppner, Oregon, on April 4, 1882. His birthplace was mentioned in The Oregonian, (Portland, Oregon), January 6, 1907, and his birth date was on his World War I draft card.

In the 1900 U.S. Census, Blackman was the oldest of three children born to Henry and Fanny. They lived in Heppner on Main Street.

The Oregonian profiled Blackman and said:

…“Hep” was the first white boy born in Heppner after the town was incorporated. That occurred in 1882. His dad was Mayor of the town at the moment, so “Hep” was ushered into this world auspiciously. He graduated at the Heppner High School in 1899, and afterward attended the Portland High School; and subsequently took a course in Armstrong’s Business College. Next he studied law at Heppner in the office of C.E. Redfield, and was ready to take his law examination, but had not yet reached the age for eligibility. He worked as a typo on the Heppner Gazette under Colonel John Watermelon Reddington, and in that publication appeared his first drawings. Then he went to San Francisco, where he worked as private secretary for Judge J.C. Campbell for five years, and during the same time studied art under the Partington’s, and, at length, he worked nights in the art-room of the San Francisco Call. Here is where he really got his first important start and began to show cleverness that counted in his comic cartoons and ideas generally. Last February he started on his brilliant series of “epitaphs” on well-known characters in the San Francisco Bulletin, and just three weeks before the earthquake the first of these fine, telling, strong and irresistibly droll “tombstones” was published in the Bulletin. They were running when the earthquake robbed the boy of all he had and all his chance in the Golden Gate city…. 

The 1904 California Voter Registration, at Ancestry.com, said Blackman lived at 418 Sutter in San Francisco, California. Blackman was in California when the Arizona Republican, November 7, 1905, published the legal notice for Articles of Incorporation of the Manhattan-Nevada Mines Syndicate, which showed him as a partner. 

After the April 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, Blackman moved to New York City. American Newspaper Comics (2012) said Blackman’s Rawhide Bill ran in the New York World from September 6 to October 24, 1906. The World, September 7, 1906, printed Blackman’s Epitaph of a Live One, which, apparently, was the basis for the series, Epitaphs for Live Ones.According to American Newspaper Comics, Epitaphs for Live Ones ran from November 10, 1906 to August 5, 1907 in the New York Evening Telegram which also published his Rube the Rotten Rhymester from April 12 to September 14, 1907. 

The Oregonian, 1/6/1907

In the 1910 census, Blackman made his home in Fort Worth, Texas at 1011 Burnett. The newspaper cartoonist was married to Irene. Texas Painters, Sculptors & Graphic Artists: A Biographical Dictionary of Artists in Texas Before 1942 (2000) said “Blackman furnished cartoons to the Brenham Daily News between 1911 and 1913.” 
The Star-Telegram, February 4, 1916, reported Blackman’s move to California.
Well Known Fort Worth Cartoonist to California.
Fort Worth, Texas, Feb. 3.—Announcement was made tonight that Heppner Blackman, cartoonist of the Star-Telegram and editor of the “Sunday Sandwich,” a Sunday feature of that paper, would leave shortly for California, where he will enter the moving picture business. He has been with the local paper for several years and enjoyed the distinction of being one of the leading cartoonists of the State.

He has considered entering the moving picture field for several months, but only announced his final decision today.

 

The Editor & Publisher, September 2, 1916, noted Blackman’s return to Fort Worth. 

Heppner Blackman, formerly cartoonist and Sunday editor of the Fort Worth (Tex.) Star-Telegram, who recently resigned to enter the moving picture field on the Pacific Coast, has returned to Forth Worth to reengage in newspaper work on the Live Stock Reporter and North Fort Worth Sunday News.

On September 12, 1918, Blackman signed his World War I draft card. His address was 203 Martin in San Antonio, Texas. Blackman was described as medium height and build, with gray eyes and black hair. He named his wife as next of kin. Blackman was a first lieutenant. 

According to the 1920 census, Blackman was a Manhattan, New York City resident at 304 West 31st Street. He was a newspaper writer. 

The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon), April 1, 1928, reported Blackman’s new job.
One Time Oregonian Joins Fox Publicity Staff.
Heppner Blackman Signs Up for Position in Hollywood.
Heppner Blackman, New York city newspaper man and former Oregonian, has joined the publicity staff at William Fox’s west coast studios, Hollywood.

Blackman was a member of the editorial staff of the New York Daily News for more than three years, serving in the capacity of reporter, labor editor and night city editor. For eight years he acted as current event cartoonist and columnist on the Fort Worth, Tex., Star-Telegram, and has worked at various times on the staffs of the New York American, International News service and on San Antonio, San Francisco and Los Angeles newspapers.

He is a son of the Henry Blackman, internal revenue collector of Oregon, Washington and Alaska during one of the Cleveland administrations.
In the 1930 census enumeration, newspaper writer Blackman and his wife lived in Los Angeles, California at 320 Alvarado. 

The 1940 census recorded Blackman in San Francisco where he was a WPA writer. His address was 1080 Post Street. He earned $900 in 1939. 

He had the same address when he signed his World War II draft card. Blackman’s employer was the WPA at 260 Market Street. His description was five feet eight-and-a-half inches, 190 pounds, with gray eyes and hair.

The 1950 census counted Blackman and his wife at the same address. He had no occupation. 

Blackman passed away on March 13, 1951 in San Francisco. The Heppner Gazette Times (Oregon), March 22, 1951, reported his death. 
Former Resident Passes
A short note from Abe Blackman in Portland informed this paper that his brother, Heppner Blackman, passed away in San Francisco March 13 at the age of 68 years. Hep will be remembered by the older residents hereabouts as the family resided in Heppner many years. His father, the late Henry Blackman, was associated in the mercantile business with Henry Heppner, the town’s founder. Hep took up cartooning as a career, working on papers in Texas and other southern states, later engaging in commercial art work in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He was a cousin of Harold Cohn of Heppner.
Blackman was laid to rest at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park. 

Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: William Reusswig

Posted on: 2 January 2023 by CSH-Admin
1947

Henry William Reusswig Jr. was born on July 22, 1902, in Somerville, New Jersey, according to his World War II draft card. 
The 1905 New Jersey state census said Reusswig, his parents and older brother were residents of Bridgewater Township of Somerville, New Jersey at 154 Cliff Street. His father was a druggist. 
The 1910 United States Census recorded Reusswig, his widow mother and brother in Utica, New York at 371 Genesee Street. His mother was a vocal teacher. 
According to the 1915 New York state census, Reusswig’s mother had remarried to Norton J. Griffith who owned a canning company. The family of four were Utica residents at 8 Greenwood Court.
In the 1920 census, Reusswig was at the same address and had a half-sister. 
Reusswig graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts. He was in the class of 1924. 
The 1925 New York state census recorded the family of five in Utica at 1102 Parkway. Reusswig’s occupation was “art league school”, probably in New York City. 
The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey), November 8, 1927, reported Ruesswig’s upcoming marriage. 
Reusswig to Wed in New York Church
New York, Nov. 8.—St. Agnes’ Church in New York City will be the scene of the wedding on November 15 of Henry William Reusswig, twenty-five, an artist, a native of Somerville, the son of Henry and Edith Norton Reusswig, and Miss Martha Louise Sawyers, twenty-two, also an artist, who has a studio at 360 West Twenty-second street, New York City. The couple obtained their marring license here yesterday. Mr. Reusswig’s present address is 215 West Thirteenth street, New York City. Miss Sawyers was born in Corsicanna, Texas, the daughter of Alie and Inez Sawyers.
On November 16, 1927, Reusswig married Martha L. Sayers in Manhattan, New York City. Evidently they honeymooned in Europe. On December 30, 1927, the newlyweds were aboard the steamship American Banker when it departed London. They arrived in the port of New York on January 9, 1928. The passenger list said their address was 360 West 22nd Street, New York City. 
Reusswig was a self-employed artist in the 1930 census. His address was 110 East 84th Street. 
Reusswig painted many pulp magazine covers. Redbook, January 1934, published a photograph of Reusswig at work. His illustrations for “We’re All a Year Older” begin here. 
On August 26, 1937, Reusswig and his wife arrived in San Pedro, California from Yokohama, Japan. 
The 1940 census enumeration counted Reusswig and his wife in Manhattan, New York City at 71 East 77th Street. 
On February 15, 1942, Reusswig signed his World War II draft card. His address was 434 East 52nd Street in Manhattan. Reusswig was described as five feet nine inches, 172 pounds, with brown eyes and hair. He enlisted in the New York Guard Service on June 24, 1943 and was assigned to Company B, Seventh Regiment. 
American Newspaper Comics (2012) said Reusswig, in 1944, drew the Book-of-the-Month adaptation of Paris Underground by Etta Shiber. He started Book-of-the-Month’s Tarawa by Robert Sherrod and completed just six strips. The remaining eighteen were by John Mayo. Both series were from the King Features Syndicate which offered Reusswig the opportunity to document the war in Europe. So, Reusswig left Tarawa and packed his bags for Europe. Apparently Reusswig’s full-page drawings began on August 13, 1944 in the Pictorial Review of several newspapers. During the series, Printers’ Ink, June 29, 1945, published an advertisement with a photograph of Reusswig.

Reusswig was mentioned in The Greenwood Library of American War Reporting Volume 5 (2005).  Reusswig returned to the U.S. on December 25, 1944 at Washington, D.C. He flew on an Air Transport Command plane. 
In early 1945, Reusswig went to the Pacific Theater to continue documenting the war for King Features. Apparently his first set of drawing appeared August 5, 1945 and last set November 11, 1945 (below). 

On September 22, 1945, Reusswig and his wife, Martha Sawyers, were aboard the S.S. Topa Topa when they departed Calcutta, India. They arrived in New York on October 20, 1945. She was a WAC captain and war correspondent for Colliers in India. 
The 1950 census said Reusswig and his wife lived in Manhattan, New York City at 434 East 52nd Street. He was a freelance magazine illustrator.
Reusswig passed away on June 22, 1978, in San Antonio, Texas. An obituary appeared in the Victoria Advocate (Texas), June 23, 1978. 
Graveside services for Henry V. Reusswig, 76, San Antonio artist and writer, will be conducted in Hillside Cemetery at 3 p.m. Friday. The Rev. John II. Bert, pastor of Grace Episcopal Church, will officiate. Burial will be under the direction of Freund Funeral Home. 
Mr. Reusswig died at a San Antonio nursing home Thursday. He was a member of the Illustrators Club and the Artists and Writers Club of New York City, the National Academy of Fine Arts and Phi Delta Theta. 
Mr. Reusswig, a graduate of Amherst College, was born in New Jersey, July 22, 1902, son of Ernest and Edith Reusswig. He married Martha Sawyers in New York City in 1927. Survivors are the wife; a sister, Mrs. Aurelia Batty of Arlington, Va., and a brother, Norton Reusswig of New York. 
Reusswig was laid to rest at Hillside Cemetery. 

Further Reading and Viewing
Internet Archive, Reusswig credits and illustrations


One comment on “Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: William Reusswig”

  1. Martha Sawyers, Reusswig's wife, was also a successful painter and illustrator. While an art student in New York an attack of wanderlust led her to move to Bali, where she painted the Balinese people. A gallery exhibit of her portraits led to a job as an illustrator of "Asian subjects" for Colliers magazine. During WWII she painted morale posters. She and her husband continued wandering the Far East and collaborated on two illustrated books. Here's a biographical outline at the Cuero (Texas) Heritate Museum:

    https://www.cueroheritagemuseum.org/martha_sawyer

    Reply

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Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Mac Raboy

Posted on: 14 December 2022 by CSH-Admin

Emanuel “Mac” Raboy was born on April 9, 1914, in Manhattan, New York City, according to his World War II draft card. 

The 1915 New York state census said “Max Raboy” was the only child of Isidor and Sarah. They were Manhattan residents at 319 East 13th Street. His father was a hat-maker.

In the 1920 census, “Maxie Raboy” and his parents lived in the Bronx at 618 Prospect Avenue. 

According to the 1925 New York state census, “Emanuel Raboy” and his parents remained in the Bronx at a new address, 1823 Michigan Avenue. 

The Raboy family resided in the Bronx at 3451 Giles Place as recorded in the 1930 census. 

Raboy graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1931. (Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999 said Raboy attended New York City’s School of Industrial Art, a high school started in 1936.) Raboy had a work in the 1932 Scholastic National High School Art Exhibition. The New York Times, December 24, 1967, said Raboy studied at Pratt Institute and Cooper Union. 

The 1940 census, enumerated on April 12, said Raboy and his wife, Lulu (Morris), lived in the Bronx at 3605 Sedgwick Avenue. He was a commercial artist and she a theatrical dancer. According to the New York, New York Marriage License Index, at Ancestry.com, the couple obtained a Bronx marriage license on July 24, 1940. 

On October 16, 1940, Raboy signed his World War II draft card. His address was 2857 Sedgwick Avenue, in the Bronx. Later it was updated to 1848 Guerlain Street in the Bronx. He worked for Harry A Chessler. Raboy’s description was five feet nine inches, 160 pounds, with brown eyes and hair. 

Raboy contributed to Look magazine issues October 19, 1943; November 2, 1943; and April 18, 1944. He illustrated a series of Philadelphia Inquirer advertisements, some of which appeared in Fortune, May 1946 and Advertising Age, October 21, 1946. 

Most of Raboy’s comic book work was produced for Fawcett from 1940 to 1948. The Grand Comics Database has a checklist. He left Fawcett for a syndicate opportunity. A King Features advertisement spread in Editor and Publisher, April 24, 1948, said 
A New and Better “Flash Gordon” Will Be Released in the Near Future
Since 1933, Flash Gordon has set the pace for adventure pages. It has always boasted the most vivid drawing, the most imaginative setting, the most pulsating, futuristic continuity. Now, under the facile pen of Mac Raboy, Flash Gordon will soar through boundless solar space on new adventure that promises to grip every reader’s imagination.
According to American Newspaper Comics (2012), Raboy’s Flash Gordon Sunday page ran from August 1, 1948 to December 17, 1967. He was one of several people to work on the strip. 

The 1950 census said Raboy, his wife, son, David, and daughter Miriam, lived in Lewisboro, New York at 375 Goldens Bridge Colony. Raboy was a self-employed commercial artist. 

Raboy passed away on December 22, 1967, in Mount Kisco, New York. 


Further Reading and Viewing
Scoop: Mac Raboy: The Greatest (Comic Book) Art Ever Created
13th Dimension: Mac Raboy: Master of the Comics
The Federal Art Project: American Prints from the 1930s in the Collection of the University of Michigan Museum of Art (1985)
Art Institute of Chicago: Barricade; Old Man; Tilling the Soil
Queens Public Library: Pitching Hay

Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Bart Tumey

Posted on: 7 November 2022 by CSH-Admin
Paul Barton “Bart” Tumey was born on July 24, 1912, in Wichita, Kansas, according to his World War II draft card. 

In the 1920 United States Census, Tumey was the youngest of two children born to Lemuel, a farmer, and Martha. They resided in Marion, Iowa. 

Tumey has not yet been found in the 1930 census. 

Information about his art training is a mystery. At some point Tumey moved to Chicago. 

Tumey was interested in comics and aviation. His question was published in Dick Calkins’ Skyroads strip which appeared in Illinois State Journal, (Springfield, Illinois), June 26, 1933. 

His question was answered the following day.

The Skyroads artist was Zack Mosley who, years later, briefly figured in Tumey’s career. 

The Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, at Ancestry.com, said Tumey and Beulahbelle Hurd married on September 17, 1938. She was a Chicago native born on July 12, 1915. Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999 said Tumey married artist Janice Valleau but that is incorrect. (Valleau and Edward H. Winkleman were engaged in November 1947 and married in June 1948.)

Beulahbelle Hurd, Lindblom Technical 
High School, Chicago, Illinois, 1933.
The 1940 census counted Tumey and his wife in his mother’s household which included his sister. They lived on East Monroe in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Tumey was a freelance cartoonist who had two years of college. Later that year he moved to New York.

On October 16, 1940, Tumey signed his World War II draft card. His address was 10 Ruxton Road in Port Washington, New York. He worked for Zack Mosley who lived in Sands Point, Port Washington, New York. 

It’s not clear if Tumey ghosted Mosley’s Smilin’ Jack. In American Newspaper Comics (2012), Alberto Becattini said Boody Rogers drew Smilin’ Jack from 1936 to 1942 while Mosley spent a lot time flying. (See Popular Aviation, February 1939, “The House That Smilin’ Jack Built”.) 
Eventually, Tumey found work in the comic book field. He created Dan’l Flannel for Novelty Press. The character debuted in 4 Most #3, Summer 1942. Tumey used his wife’s name, Beulahbelle, for the lead female character. 

Tumey enlisted in the Army on May 12, 1943. His veteran’s file said he was discharged on October 29, 1945. 

… The newspaper staff published a daily which introduced a new cartoon, “Private Pokey,” created by Corporal Bart Tumey. “Private Pokey” was picked up by Yank and eventually syndicated in civilian papers. 

Some of Tumey’s Private Pokey cartoons can be viewed at Heritage Auctions. The cartoons were signed and said Tumey was in the 34th Special Service Company which provided entertainment. 

After the war Tumey returned to New York City. The 1950 census said he was married and lived alone at 60 West 92nd Street, B-4. The Grand Comics Database said Tumey’s comic book career spanned from 1939 to 1953. 

During the 1950s and 1960s, Tumey was one of many cartoonists who did gag cartoons for farm and agriculture periodicals. Here are Tumey cartoons in The Feed Bag: December 1957, February 1958, June 1958, August 1958, February 1961, February 1962, and July 1962. Other publications with Tumey cartoons are Farm Store Merchandising and Grain Age. 

The Writer’s Market, Volume 18, (1961), had an entry for Tumey. 

Bart Tumey, 2820A W. Vliet St., Milwaukee 8, Wis. There is non limit to the gags per batch Mr. Tumey will look at. However, he wants industrial gags only, for which he will pay a 25% commission.

Tumey’s mother passed away on February 8, 1965. Her obituary said he lived in St. Louis, Missouri.

Tumey passed away on July 11, 1974. He was laid to rest at Keokuk National Cemetery. Tumey’s wife, Beulahbelle Mellan, passed away on September 13, 2000 in Chicago. 


Further Reading and Viewing
Four-Color Shadows, Shenanigan-Bart Tumey–1949
War Comics, Private Dogtag

Cole’s Comics, Sexy Nurses, Jive Genies, and Innocent Racism in Jack Cole’s 1944 Private Dogtag Screwball Adventure 

Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: A.C. Fera

Posted on: 28 October 2022 by CSH-Admin
Adolph Christian Fera was born on September 14, 1877, in Danville, Illinois, according to his Social Security application at Ancestry.com. His parents were Charles A. Fera and Mary E. Gilman who married on October 26, 1875 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

In the 1880 United States Census, Fera, his parents and younger brother, Gilman, lived in Danville. Fera’s father was a merchant. 


On August 23, 1902, Fera married Miss E. Baunn in Alexandria, Virginia. It was the first of three marriages. 

The beginning of Fera’s cartooning education and career is not known. The Billings Gazette (Montana), July 26, 1907, said Fera was a cartoonist on the Chicago Examiner. In the book, Artists in California 1786–1940, the author, Edan Hughes said “Fera settled in Los Angeles in 1909. For many years he worked there as a cartoonist for the Hearst papers.”

American Newspaper Comics (2012) said Fera’s strips include What You Lafin’ At? (1909); Oh, There Goes My Car (1909); Just Boy (1914, continued by Doc Winner in 1926); and An Embarrassing Moment (1916, with Fred Locher). 

In the 1910 census, Fera lived with his father and aunt in South Pasadena at 1218 Fremont Avenue. Fera’s occupation was newspaper cartoonist. That same year a collection of his cartoons was published under the title, Post Cards of a Tourist (Mr. ‘Skinny’ East): Cartoons of Southern California. Below is a partial description from Art Books, 1876–1949 (1981). 

The cartoons used in this volume were originally published in “The Los Angeles Express” excepting six drawings which appeared in “The Los Angeles Herald.”

Almost seven weeks after the census enumeration, Fera married Dorothy V. Quincey on June 10, 1910 in Los Angeles. Fera’s third marriage was to Mabel L. Jamieson on February 8, 1913 in Los Angeles. 

Fera signed his World War I draft card on September 12, 1918. He was a Los Angeles-based cartoonist working for the Newspaper Feature Service which was in New York. He was described as tall and slender with gray eyes and dark hair. 

Editor and Publisher, April 24, 1919, published a King Features Syndicate advertisement that included Fera’s Just Boy. 

The 1920 census said Fera had two sons, Gilman and Donald. The family of four lived in Los Angeles on Western Avenue. 

Editor and Publisher, April 30, 1921, reported the American Newspaper Publishers’ Association convention dinner at the Friars Club. Fera was one of the Hearst stars to attend. 

Fera was included in Our American Humorists (1922). 

The Sierra Madre News, March 23, 1928, said Fera was a member of the Cartoonists Dinner Club. 

In 1924, Fera was a registered voter. The Republican resided at 943 South New Hampshire Avenue. The same address was recorded in the 1930 census and 1932 Los Angeles city directory. 

Fera has not yet been found in the 1940 census. Fera’s son, Gilman, signed his World War II draft card on October 16, 1940. He lived with his parents in Los Angeles at 1463 West Washington. 

Fera was mentioned in King News: An Autobiography (1941). 

Fera passed away on June 15, 1941 in Los Angeles, according to the California Death Index. 

Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Lowell Talbott

Posted on: 19 October 2022 by CSH-Admin

Arthur Lowell Talbott was born on September 26, 1907, in French Creek, West Virginia, according to his World War II draft card. His parents were Elliott L. Talbott and Minnie Merle Colerider who married in 1906. 

The 1910 United States Census said they resided in Glade, West Virginia. Talbott’s father was a barber. 

On September 12, 1918, Talbott’s father signed his World War I draft card. He was a Texas ranger who lived in Big Wells, Texas. Apparently he was divorced. 

The 1920 census said Talbott’s mother remarried to Arthur N. Smith, a farmer born in Nebraska. Also in household was Talbott’s younger brother, Stanley, a step-sister, and servant. They lived in Meade, West Virginia.

According to the 1930 census the family had grown to eight members plus a servant. They were residents of Omaha, Nebraska at 1031 35th Avenue. Talbott was unemployed. 

The Republican (Oakland, Maryland), June 4, 1931, published marriage license notices for several couples including “Arthur Lowell Talbott, 23, school teacher, France [sic] Creek, W. Va., and Garnet Ellen Simons, 21, Abbott, W. Va.” Additional information about their marriage has not been found. 

Talbott had an entry in the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 3, Musical Compositions, New Series, 1934, Volume 29, Number 4. 

How can I trust you; w and m Lowell Talbott © 1 c. Apr. 16, 1934; E unp. 85895; Arthur Lowell Talbott. 8175

The 1940 census said Talbott was a self-employed commercial artist. He lived with his parents and three step-sisters in French Creek, West Virginia. They were at the same location in 1935. 

Information about Talbott’s art training has not been found. He produced three series in 1936 and 1937: See For Yourself—In West Virginia; West Virginia Hall of Fame (with Fortney); and West Virginia Walton aka Gary O’Neil in West Virginia (with Byers). They appeared in the Martinsburg News where Talbott was a staff artist. The identities and background of his collaborators, Fortney and Byers, remain a mystery. 

On October 16, 1940, Talbott signed his World War II draft card. His description was five feet five inches, 145 pounds, with blue eyes and blonde hair. Talbott’s Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, at Ancestry.com, said he served briefly with the Merchant Marine from February 20, 1945 to April 16, 1945, and April 30, 1945 to July 5, 1945.


At some point Talbott moved to Florida where he married Lois Mildred Yancey on April 3, 1946. 

The 1950 census said Talbott had two sons and two daughters. They were Sarasota, Florida residents at 412 45th Street. Talbott painted newly constructed houses. His wife was a curb girl at a snack bar. The 1953 and 1955 Sarasota city directories listed Talbott as a painter who lived at 313 39th Street. 

Some years later Talbott returned to West Virginia and wrote a weekly column for the Beckley Post-Herald. The Congressional Record of the Senate, September 21, 1965, reprinted his piece “White Sulphur Springs—Nation’s Oldest Resort”. Some of Talbott’s writings were mentioned in West Virginia History, Volume 30, 1968. 

Talbott passed away on March 13, 1993. The Social Security Death Index said his last residence was Buckhannon, West Virginia. He was laid to rest at the French Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery. 

Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Jeff/Geoff Hayes

Posted on: 5 October 2022 by CSH-Admin

Jeff/Geoff Hayes was born Thomas Geoff Hayes on June 8, 1903, in Newburgh, New York, according to his World War II draft card. His parents were Thomas J. Hayes and Mary Daly who married on October 2, 1895 in Newburgh. 

The 1910 U.S. Federal Census said Hayes was the second of four siblings. The household included his parents and aunt, Ella Daly. They lived in Newburgh at 67 Courtney Avenue. Hayes father was a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier. 

The 1915 New York state census said a fifth child was in the Hayes family. They were, in birth order, Helen, Jeffrey, Jack, Mildred and Thomas. The address was the same. 

The Newburgh News, January 26, 1953, said Hayes attended the Liberty Street School and Newburgh Free Academy. 

One of Hayes’ projects was noted in the Newburgh Daily News, December 10, 1921. 
Books of Carols in Much Demand
A few days ago the music committee of the Newburgh Community Service placed over 2,000 Community Christmas carol books in the hands of local dealers, who are selling them at five cents. The demand has been so great that the supply quickly vanished and 2,000 more copies have been secured and are now on sale in the following places: … Posters made by Joseph Moore and Geoffrey Hayes, artist and cartoonist respectively of the Newburgh Academy will be set up in places selling the carols. …
Hayes graduated on June 28, 1922 according to the Newburgh Daily News. Hayes contributed several illustrations to the school yearbook, The Academy Graduate. His senior entry had the name “T. Geoffrey Hayes’. 


The Newburgh Daily News, September 14, 1923, said Hayes was leaving soon to enroll at the Art Students’ League in New York City. 

The 1925 New York state census said Hayes was a New York City resident and student at 318 West 57th, Street, a block away from the Art Students’ League.

From 1923 to 1927, the Newburgh city directory listed “Geoffrey T Hayes” as a student at 67 Courtney Avenue. Beginning in 1928, his occupation was cartoonist. 

Apparently Hayes was counted twice in the 1930 census. He was counted in his widow mother’s household, in Newburgh, which included his sisters, brother and aunt. There was a newspaper artist, “Geoffrey Hayes”, residing in Brooklyn at 30 St. James Place.

In the early 1930s, Hayes married Josephine R. Sawinski. Their daughter, Regina June Hayes was born on June 2, 1034 in Queens, New York City, New York. Her nickname was “Honey” and she was mentioned in L.L. Stevenson’ column “Lights of New York” in the Evening Recorder (Amsterdam, New York), August 21, 1939. 

Mistake: Honey Hayes is 5 years old. She has flaxen hair, blue eyes, a merry little smile and, in other words, lives right up to her name. The other afternoon, her father, Jeff Hayes, when he got caught up with his art work, took Honey out to the World’s Fair. Some time after darkness had fallen, Honey and her father went into Morris Gest’s Miracle Town. As it does sometimes out on Flushing Meadows, the air had turned cool so, while they watched the midgets go through their routines, Jeff slipped his coat over his daughter’s shoulders. Naturally it drooped a little and changed Honey’s appearance completely. With Honey so clad, they wandered over to the place where, if you wish, you may have your tin-type taken with a midget of your choice. And didn’t a big, husky truck driver come up, look Honey over and pointing at her, declared loudly, “I’ll have my picture taken with that one!”

In the 1940 census, Hayes, his wife and daughter were Bronx residents at 291 Hollywood Avenue. Hayes was a newspaper commercial artist. He earned $2,550 in 1939.

On February 15, 1942, Hayes signed his World War II draft card. His address was the same. Hayes’ employer was the Bell Syndicate. He was described as five feet seven inches, 160 pounds, with brown eyes and hair. 

The Newburgh Daily News, April 7, 1945, profiled Hayes. 
Jeff Hayes, Home Town Youth, Makes Good in Cartoon Work
If you know the authors of your favorite comic strips, you’ve no doubt come across the name of Jeff Hayes and wondered why it sounds familiar. The explanation is simply that Jeff is a hometown boy who made good.

In the early part of March a picture of the cartoonist, sponsoring a brand of pipes, was printed in the New. One of Jeff’s school chums here recognized the picture and promptly proceeded to get into touch with him. Shortly afterward a letter from Jeff made its way back to Newburgh, in which he modestly summed up his career since graduation from High School in 1922.

Jeff writes: “After I finished high school I came to New York and went to the Art Students’ League tor a year, but didn’t learn too much. Then I got a job in the ad—art department of New York Journal, where I stayed for 12 years. From there I went to King Features and next New York News. Finally about six years ago I came to the Bell Syndicate as a staff artist.”

Among the cartoonist’s most popular comic strips is “Adamson’s Adventures”, sometimes known as “Silent Sam”, and “Witty Kitty.” He also does a Christmas strip and Christmas shopping comics. Seems to be quite versatile this hometown In a further discussion of the boy!

‘Never Could Dance’

Then of course came time for reminiscing. “Sure, I remember Aladorf’s—and I’ll bet that any girl I danced with remembers it too—I never could dance.” Jeff wrote, “When I think back, what a lot of names pop up—Bill Fink, Andy Calyer, Hicks Bellinger, Ike McKeever.” No doubt he could have gone on for pages. 

To bring things up to date he talks of his wife Jo and his daughter. Accompanying descriptive  paragraphs of the two women in his life, he included sketches of the family of three. His wife, he explained, is his model for the girls in his lectures and his daughter is the little girl in the Christmas strips. 

Jeff concluded his letter with best wishes to old friends in Newburgh and a promise to visit the town sometime in the future.
According to the 1950 census, the Hayes family lived in Taunton, Massachusetts at 497 West Britannia, downstairs. The head of the household was Hayes’ father-in-law, Joseph Sawinski. Hayes was a newspaper cartoonist. 

American Newspaper Comics (2012) said “Geoff Hayes” produced the following series: After the Honeymoon, from September 16, 1927 to July 19, 1928; Jane and Fred’s Christmas Adventure, from November 27, to December 23, 1939; A Visit to Santa Claus, from November 24, to December 24, 1941; and Mister Smith Goes to Santaland, from November 29, to December 24, 1943. Credited as “Jeff Hayes”, he did Adamson’s Adventures from 1945 to 1953; and Chip from March 3, 1952 to 1962. Hayes said he drew Witty Kitty, uncredited, for a period of time. Hayes’ Silent Sam strip appeared in a handful of New York state newspapers from 1945 to 1951.

Hayes’ Chip strip was featured in Editor & Publisher, February 2, 1952. 

The Seattle Times (Washington), August 19, 1954, reported Hayes’ daughter’s cartooning ambition.
Daughter Wants to Be ‘Chip’ Off Old Block
Jeff Hayes, cartoonist, paid a visit to The Seattle Times, one of some 100 newspapers across the nation carrying his quip-a-day cartoon, “Chip.” Hayes let drop a little secret of his trade.

“Most every comic-strip character changes (in appearance),” Hayes declared, “but the changes are made so gradually that the reader doesn’t notice them.

“For instance, if you would look back in newspaper files to the time when I started ‘Chip’ nearly three years ago, it might startle you to see how different he looked then.

“As the cartoonist gets to know his character, he changes him, but not rapidly so that the reader would notice.”

Career Began in N.Y.

Hayes began cartooning some 30 years ago on The New York Journal-American, and became successful enough in the big city to move to a small town. He now lives in Tauton, Mass.

“I spent years as a ‘stooge’ before starting a character of my own,” Hayes said. ‘Stooge,’ Hayes explained, is cartoonists’ parlance for a perhaps well-paid but anonymous wretch who draws for one of the established artists. His stuff never appears over his own signature.

“A cartoonist has got to draw something he knows. Now I’d never been to China with the Air Force, or off on a space ship or reared by apes in the jungles of Africa. But I did know something about kids.

‘Chip’ Was Started

“So I started ‘Chip.’…At first, I did some of my own selling, walking in on managing editors, and pulling ‘Chip’ out of my briefcase.”

Hayes visited Seattle en route home from a month-long U.S.O. tour of isolated Army and Air Force bases in Alaska. He was part of a 12-person party sent out by the National Cartoonists’ Society. The group did chalk-talk routines.

Hayes was accompanied by his 20-year-old daughter, Honey, a runner-up in a recent “Miss Massachusetts” contest. 

Honey, a student at Durfee Tech, in Fall River, Mass., wants to be a cartoonist like her dad.
The 1965 Taunton, Massachusetts city directory listed Hayes at 31 Lillian Terrace. 

Hayes’ hospitalization was reported in the Evening News (Beacon, New York), January 22, 1966.
Jeff Hayes, Cartoonist, in Hospital
Cartoonist Jeff Hayes, who is a native of Newburgh, is a patient in Pondville Hospital at Norfolk, Mass.

Mr. Hayes and his wife, Josephine, reside at 31 Lillian Terrace in Taunton, Mass. Their daughter, Mrs. June Regina (Honey) also lives in Taunton with her husband and two daughters, June and Mary. 

Mr. Hayes, a 1922 graduate of Newburgh Free Academy, was born in Newburgh June 8, 1903. His parents were the late Thomas and Mary Daly Hayes.

He went to New York City to attend the Art Students League and was the author of a number of comic strips, including “Chips” which appeared in The Evening News at one time. 

He has two sisters in Newburgh, Miss Helen and Miss Mildred Hayes, at 67 Courtney Avenue.

Before his illness, Mr. Hayes, his daughter and their poodle “Pierre” conducted a Saturday morning television show in Taunton.
Hayes passed away on March 10 or 11, 1966, in Fall River, Massachusetts. An obituary was published in the Evening News, March 11, 1966.
Jeff Hayes, Cartoonist, Dies at 62
Jeff Hayes, 62, a native of Newburgh died in Rose Hawthorne Home, Fall River, Mass., on Thursday (March 10, 1966.)

Mr. Hayes, a well-known cartoonist, was born in Newburgh June 8, 1903, son of the late Thomas and Mary Daly Hayes. He was a 1922 graduate of Newburgh Free Academy.

He attended the Art Students League in New York City and was author of the comic strip “Chips.” He and his daughter and their pet poodle were featured on a television show in Taunton, Mass., before his illness.

His home was at 31 Lillian Ter. in Taunton.

Surviving are his widow, Josephine; a daughter, Mrs. June Regina Calvey; two grandchildren, June and Mary Calvey; all in Taunton; and two sisters, Miss Helen and Miss Mildred Hayes of Newburgh.

Funeral arrangements have not been completed.
Find a Grave said Hayes died on March 11 and was laid to rest at Saint Joseph Cemetery. 

Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Gladys Parker

Posted on: 14 September 2022 by CSH-Admin
Gladys Parker was born on March 21, 1908, in Tonawanda, New York, according to American Women: The Official Who’s Who Among the Women of the Nation, 1935–1936 (1935). It said her parents were Wilburt C. Parker and Caroline Phillips. The New York State Marriage Index, at Ancestry.com, had a Wilburt C. Parker and Caroline Gerster who married on June 24, 1902 in Tonawanda. 

The 1910 U.S. Federal Census recorded Parker, her parents and older brother Charles in Tonawanda at 196 Young Street. Parker’s father was a boat carpenter. 

Parker’s mother died of pneumonia in April 1914 according to the Buffalo Times, April 12, 1914. 
Pneumonia Claims Mrs. Caroline Parker
Tonawanda, April 11— Mrs. Caroline Parker, 35 years old, wife of Wilbert Parker, died last evening at her home, No. 196 Young Street, after an illness of a week with pneumonia. The deceased was born in Tonawanda and had lived here all her life. Besides her husband, a daughter and a son, Mrs. Parker is survived, by her mother, one brother and three sisters, all of the Tonawandas. Mrs. Parker was a member of Twin City Council, Daughters of America. The funeral will be held Monday afternoon. 
In the 1915 New York state census, Parker, her father and brother were in the household of her paternal grandparents, Charles and Elizabeth Parker. They were residents of Tonawanda at 15 Fremont Place. This was Parker’s home for approximately the next 12 years. 

Eight-year-old Parker was mentioned in the Evening News (North Tonawanda, New York), March 1, 1916.
Carnival
Odd Fellows’ Temple Tuesday March 7th at 8:15 sharp. 75 children of the Tonawandas in fancy, group, ballet, and solo dancing. The grand march will be led by Miss Elizabeth Preston and Master Allan Ives, Miss Laura Bejtz and Master Edmund Comstock. A group cake walkers led by Reta Cole and Gladys Parker. A group of hoop dancers led-by Miss Gertrude Blacklask and Miss Alice Shinskey. Solo by Miss Grace Hlckey. A group of Spanish dancers. Solo by Miss Adel Kane. A group of Dutch clog dancers. Solo by Miss Agnes Lapp. …
The Evening News, March 21, 1938, profiled Parker and described her early life. 
… Born and raised in Tonawanda, Miss Parker attended the Delaware school, and then Tonawanda high school. She first gained public attention, where, at the age of two, she was announced the winner of a baby beauty contest, and was acclaimed “the cutest kid in the Tonawandas”.

Grandmother an Early Instructor

At the age of four, she went to live with her grandmother. Day after day, at the knee of her grandparent, she absorbed the technique of dress making, and it was here that she learned the fundamentals of this art, which today make her one of the outstanding dress makers in the country.
Parker graduated grammar school in 1921 according to the Evening News, June 18, 1921.
Largest Class Is Graduated 
Tonawanda Grammar School Awards Diplomas to 124 Students
The largest number of grammar students in the history of Tonawanda graduated last night at the Tonawanda high school building and became eligible for entry next year into the high school course. There were 124 grammar school students to receive diplomas. …

… A recitation “The Enchanted Skirt” by William Smith was then given, followed by the reading of the class Will by Miss Gladys Parker. …
The Evening News, May 8, 1922, mentioned Parker’s talent for dancing. 
Presbyterians Will Give Entertainment
The Men’s Class of the First Presbyterian church will give a theatrical performance at Tonawanda high school auditorium tomorrow evening. 

The program will be given entirely by local talent. Solos will be sung by Miss Ingham Nutley and Miss Bessie Perrigo. Miss Gladys Parker will present a number of Scottish dances, including the Highland fling and sword dances. …
The Buffalo Express (New York) published a children’s section called The Sunshine Express. The September 17, 1922 edition listed Parker as a new member. 

The Evening News, October 31, 1923, reported the passing of Parker’s paternal grandfather.
Chas. B. Parker Dies Suddenly
One of the City’s Oldest and Best Known Citizens Succumbs to Paralytic Stroke

Veteran of Civil War

Resident of Tonawandas Since Age of 19—Commander of Scott Post, G. A. R.—Rank and File Members to Be Pallbearers at Military Funeral.

Charles B. Parker, 79 years old, died yesterday afternoon at his home, 15 Fremont street, after an illness of little more than two days. He was stricken with paralysis of his brain and throat Sunday evening. Prior to the stroke Mr. Parker had been in excellent health.

Mr. Parker was one of Tonawanda’s oldest and best known citizens. He was a veteran of the Civil War and had been commander of the W. B. Scott Post, G. A. R. For the past 15 years. He was born at Sackett’s Harbor, N. Y. He came to the Tonawandas to live when 18 years old and had maintained his residence here since.

During the Civil War he joined the Federal forces and fought for two years for the preservation of the Union.

Military Funeral

A military funeral will be held. Arrangements have been made to have a firing squad and pallbearers from the rank and file. The funeral will be held Friday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock from the late residence. Rev. H. A. Berlin of the First Presbyterian church will conduct the services and burial will be at Elmlawn. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/106312546/charles-b.-parker

Surviving are a wife, and son, Wilbur Parker; two grandchildren, all of Tonawanda; a brother, Albert Parker and two sisters, Miss Helen Parker and Mrs. Rebecca Warren, Sackett’s Harbor. 
Parker’s paternal grandmother’s passing was reported in The Buffalo Times, May 24, 1926. 

Tonawanda, May 24.—Mrs. Elizabeth Parker, 78 years old, wife of the late Charles Parker, Civil War veteran, died yesterday morning at her home, No. 15 Fremont Street, after a brief illness with pneumonia. She was born in North Tonawanda and had lived in the Tonawandas practically all her life. She was a member of Twin City Council, Daughters of America, and the Women’s Relief Corps. A son, William Parker; a granddaughter, Miss Gladys Parker; and a grandson, Charles J. Parker, residents of Tonawanda, survive. The funeral will be held Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock from the residence, Rev. H. A. Berlis of the First Presbyterian Church officiating. Interment will be at Elmlawn. 

Parker’s dance performance was reported in the Evening News, June 2, 1924
The Junior Class entertained the Seniors at a very pretty little dance Thursday evening, May 29th, in the high school auditorium. Music was furnished by the Twentieth Century Orchestra and dancing was the feature of the evening although interesting events were part of the evening’s amusement.

… The last thing on the program was a novelty. Miss Gladys Parker attired in a Japanese costume have a solo dance. With the lights of the auditorium out and with stage lights only it made a very pleasing effect. 
Photographs of Tonawanda High School’s Class of 1925 were published in the Evening News, June 24, 1925. 

The Evening News, March 21, 1938, said
After graduating from Tonawanda high school in 1925, Miss Parker obtained a position with the Meyers lumber company. This job was far from fulfilling the desires of this girl who was reported as being “not exceptionally clever at drawing, but a whiz at dressmaking.” It is said by people who knew her as a plain working-girl, that whenever a special event arose, she would make herself a new dress, and always turn up one of the best dressed women in attendance.

Being extremely ambitious and reluctant to remain a stenographer for the rest of her life, Miss Parker with the help of her family, attended the Albright Art school, working during the day, and going to school nights. Here, she studied design and figure drawing under Frank Foot McQuary [The Buffalo Evening News and Buffalo Courier-Express, June 9, 1927, said Parker was awarded honorable mention in Mrs. Franc Root McCreery’s costume design class]. 

Sponsored Riviera Show

On the side, dress making assumed the aspect of a small business. Little by little her small circle of customers grew, until finally, she devoted her full time to this trade, as she found she could make more at this than working for the lumber company. It was at this time that the style show was presented at the Riviera. [The Evening News, September 12, 1934, said “A modest advertisement, designed also by herself, in the Evening News, announced the first fashion revue which she sponsored. It was held in the newly opened Rivera theater on the evenings of April 19th, 20th and 21st of 1927. The models were six of her personal friends, all local girls.”]

Completing her course of study at the Albright Art school, Miss Parker left for New York City to continue her work at the Traphagen art school there. Here, she gave full play to her artistic talents, and as a student, won several prizes for work submitted in various contests. [The New York Times, October 30, 1927, said Parker was one of fourteen student winners in the costume-designing and poster contests conducted by the Arnold, Constable & Co.] Graduating from this school, after the fashion of all newcomers with something to sell, she began peddling her wares and looking for the break would get her “in”.

Hers is the same old story of the steps to success, experienced by all who would make good in a big way, with one refusal following another. At last a sale, another, and still another, and the Tonawanda girl found herself able to eke out a living unaided by the folk at home. Finally she was offered a job, designing costumes for chorus girls. A steadier existence was this, but the same ambition that caused her to quit her lumber company job, soon forced her into other fields and finally into cartooning.
The New York Times, April 28, 1966, published this Parker quote: “My first job was to design striptease dresses for burlesque queens,” she once told an interviewer. 

Parker was profiled by Moira Davison Reynolds in Comic Strip Artists in American Newspapers, 1945–1980 (2003). She said Parker moved to New York City in 1927 and got a job as staff cartoonist on the New York Graphic. In the 1930s Parker drew several comic strip advertisements for Lux soap. 

Parker’s comic strip debut was announced in Editor and Publisher, September 8, 1928. 
U. P. Adds Two Strips to Blanket Service
Six Comics Now Issued Daily to 158 Clients, Bourjaily Announces—Other Features Added to Service
United Press Features has added two strips to its blanket service, making a total of six now issued daily to 158 clients, Monte F. Bourjaily, manager, announced this week. 

The two strips are “Gay and Her Gang,” by Gladys Parker, and “Malaria Muggs,” by Ben Dave Allen. Mr. Allen was graduated from the University of Texas where he was a football star and “three letter man.” After college he attended art school in Chicago and spent time drawing animated cartoons for the movies.

Miss Parker is the 19-year-old daughter of Wilbur C. Parker, boat builder of Tonawanda, N. Y. Last year she opened a costume shop in Tonawanda, but subsequently left there for New York to continue her art studies. In October, 1927, she won first prize in a costume contest open to all art school students in New York. She was working as a costume designer when engaged by United Press to develop her comic strip.
Parker’s comics strip contract was also reported in the Evening News, December 6, 1928. 
Tonawanda Girl Drawing Comic for News Service
Miss Gladys Parker, 19, Daughter of W. C. Parker, Fremont Street, Producing “Gay and Her Gang” for United Press—Has Lucrative Contract
Miss Gladys Parker, 19 years old, daughter of Wilbert C. Parker, 15 Fremont street, has been signed by the United Press association as one of its comic strip producers. Announcement of Miss Parker’s success in this connection was made recently by the magazine, Editor and Publisher.

Well Known Here

Miss Parker is well known in Tonawanda. Several years ago she won a prize in an art designing contest in Buffalo. She later opened a costume shop in Tonawanda, which she gave up about a year ago to continue her art studies in New York. 

After going to the metropolis Miss Parker showed her ability as an art student by winning first prize in a costume contest open to all art students in New York city. In the meantime she developed a talent for producing a comic strip, entitled “Gay and Her Gang,” showing [illegible] ability that the United Press signed her to a contract at a [illegible] salary. 

“Gay and Her Gang” is now being produced by the United Press as one of its leading [illegible]. …
American Newspaper Comics (2012) said Gay and Her Gang ran from September 8, 1928 to 1929. Ethel Hays’ Flapper Fanny was continued by Parker from March 21, 1930 to December 8, 1935. Parker was followed by Sylvia Sneidman who produced the series from December 9, 1935 to June 29, 1940. 

The Evening News, March 21, 1938, said
Flapper Fanny was born at this time. She gained a great amount of popularity with her cracks tuned to the temperament of the day, and was soon syndicated throughout the United States by the NEA feature service. Back to dress designing again, although continuing with her newspaper work, and another fashion show.

Not much success at first, but then a buyer. One by one they came, until at last, the ambitious Miss Parker was officially “in”.
Parker met her husband, Allen, through United Press Features. On May 9, 1930, Parker and Ben Dave Allen were married at the Municipal Building in Manhattan, New York City. The marriage certificate said she was 21 years old.


Their marriage was reported in the Corsicana Daily Sun (Texas), May 9, 1930. 
Ben Dave Allen to Wed New York City Girl Early Date
New York, May 9,—(SFL).—Ben Dave Allen, 26, sports writer and cartoonist, formerly of CorsIcana, Texas, where he was born, and Miss Gladys Parker, 21 [sic], artist of 32 West Forty-seventh street, this city, obtained a marriage license at the municipal bureau today and announced they would be married here later by the city clerk. 

Mr. Allen is the son of Guy and Rena Shirley ALLen and lives at 42 West Fiftieth street, this city. Miss Parker is a native of Tonawanada, N. Y., and the daughter of Wilbur and Caroline Phillips Parker.
Parker’s hometown paper, the Evening News, May 12, 1930, said
W.C. Parker of 15 Fremont street announces the marriage of his daughter, Gladys M., to Ben Dave Allen, which was solemnized on May 10 [sic], in New York City.

Gladys Parker recently left the United Press where her comic strip “Gay and Her Gang” achieved wide spread popularity. She is now drawing a comic and also a fashion strip for N.E.A., one of the largest feature syndicates in the country. She is a graduate of Tonawanda high school and is one of the few women to make good in producing strip illustrating for newspapers. She is 20 years old and made her descent on New York only three years ago.
The couple was profiled in Editor and Publisher, October 16, 1948. 

Parker’s illustrations appeared in the Sunday Star Magazine from 1930 to 1931. 

The Waterbury Democrat (Connecticut), published Parker’s illustrated fashion column from September 7, 1933 to September 25, 1935.

Parker and cartoonist George Clark (Side Glances) appeared together in a photograph. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 13, 1935, printed a photograph featuring, left to right: Jefferson Machamer, illustrator; Emil Alvin Hartman, director Fashion Academy; John O’Hara, novelist; Hazel Grace, model; Gladys Parker, artist; James Montgomery Flagg, illustrator; Ham Fisher, creator Joe Palooka, and Russell Patterson, artist. Parker and her husband  were subjects in Universal Weekly, November 9, 1935. U.S. Camera 1935 published a Eugene Hutchinson photograph of Parker. 

Parker filed a stylized self-portrait as a trademark which was published in the Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, February 27, 1934. 


The Official Who’s Who Among the Women of the Nation said Parker’s occupations, in 1935, were designer for Gladys Parker Dresses; cartoonist and fashion writer for NEA. She was costume designer for the firm of George Reine (no information available). Her hobby was sewing and favorite recreation included dancing and painting. Parker’s home was New York City at 307 East 44th Street, and business addresses were 498 Seventh Avenue, and 461 Eighth Avenue (NEA office).

Parker judged a contest in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 23, 1936, said 
She was more enthusiastic about Richmond. “It’s like a grand city,” she said. “I’ve never gotten better Coca-Colas.” And Glady is a “coke” authority. She drinks a case a day and has it in her contract that the house for whom she fashions clothes must provide her with her daily supply. Sixty cigarettes daily are her quota and she only eats once a day. Most of the time it’s chili, she says. “I never eat but one thing at a meal and usually it’s the same thing for month or more. I ate only chili daily for two years,” she explained. “But then I got sort of tired of it!” …

Miss Parker’s career has been varied. She’s 28 now, she says so, but, as we said before, looks like an infant. At 15 she owned her own dress ship in her home town of Tonawanda, N. Y. Later she went to New York, where she designed costumes, and did gag drawings and comic strips. “Flapper Fanny,” her most popular character, went on and on for seven [sic] years. 
Houston Chronicle 3/9/1937

In 1937 Parker’s big success was Mopsy which was syndicated by Associated Newspapers. Mopsy was one of several comics advertised in the Evening Star (Washington, DC) beginning on May 27, 1937.  Mopsy debuted on May 31, 1937. the Last available Mopsy in the Evening Star was December 27, 1963. American Newspaper Comics said the series ended August 13, 1966. 

The Evening News, March 21, 1938, said
Today she remains one of the cleverest of America’s younger artists. Mopsy, her latest cartoon character, daily spreads her modern philosophy from the pages of America’s newspapers, while in New York, smart women dressers trade at the shop of Gladys Parker.

The other day Mopsy, in characteristic fashion, turned to one of her boyfriends and flippantly remarked, “Well, at least I’ve got a mind to make up.”

This is typical of the little lady, and the truth, when referred to her creator. For indeed, Miss Parker has a mind which coupled with her strong ambition was responsible for her march, straight to the top of the heap.
A passenger list said Parker and her husband returned from Bermuda on July 25, 1938. Information included her birthplace, Tonawanda, New York, and birth year, 1908. Their address was 42 East 50th Street, New York City.

The Houston Chronicle, June 6, 1939, said Parker and her husband were driving cross-country to Los Angeles where she planned to open a dress shop. Parker’s New York shop was on Fifty-Second street. The couple stopped in Corsicana, Texas to visit his parents. 

Parker has not yet been found in the 1940 census. 

The Brooklyn Eagle, May 15, 1940, identified Parker’s assistant, Mildred R. Peterson. 

Parker illustrated Berkshire Stockings advertisements, some of which appeared in Life, October 21, 1940, March 24, 1941 and May 5, 1941. 

On February 16, 1942, Parker’s husband signed his World War II draft card. Their address was 2253 Linnington Avenue, Los Angeles, California. He was working for the Los Angeles Herald-Express. 


The Evening News, May 27, 1942, noted Parker’s appearance in Spot magazine. 
Tona Designer Wins Acclaim
Miss Gladys Parker Featured in Magazine
In the June issue of the Spot magazine are two full length pictures of Miss Gladys Parker, a native of Tonawanda, who gained prominence as a designer of women’s wear. Miss Parker is shown displaying two of her creations for summer evening wear and for dining or lounging.
In an accompanying article Miss Parker describes the creations appearing on the fashion page of the magazine.
Miss Parker, the daughter of Wilbur Parker of 15 Benton street, went to New York after completing her education in the Tonawanda public schools and took up designing. She has since attained national prominence in her line of work.
She has appeared in Buffalo’s leading department stores in connection with fashion displays.
For a number of years she was located in New York city. Her family today announced that she is now a resident of California.
The Evening News, May 27, 1942, noted Parker’s appearance in Spot magazine. 
Tona Designer Wins Acclaim
Miss Gladys Parker Featured in Magazine
In the June issue of the Spot magazine are two full length pictures of Miss Gladys Parker, a native of Tonawanda, who gained prominence as a designer of women’s wear. Miss Parker is shown displaying two of her creations for summer evening wear and for dining or lounging.
In an accompanying article Miss Parker describes the creations appearing on the fashion page of the magazine.
Miss Parker, the daughter of Wilbur Parker of 15 Benton street, went to New York after completing her education in the Tonawanda public schools and took up designing. She has since attained national prominence in her line of work.
She has appeared in Buffalo’s leading department stores in connection with fashion displays.
For a number of years she was located in New York city. Her family today announced that she is now a resident of California.
Army Life and United States Army Recruiting News, September 1944, profiled Parker and showed Mopsy in uniform and specially-created WAC character, Betty G.I.

Parker’s Look magazine appearance was mentioned in the Evening News, October 16, 1944.
Twin Cities’ Gladys Parker Draws Nationally Famous Cartoon Strips
When Gladys Parker was just a ‘teen-age Tonawanda high school girl a few years ago, she hurt her leg in an accident and had to spend several dull months in bed. She began to project the  fancies of her alert creative mind into little cartoons and drawings using her image in the looking glass as a model. 
During those months of bed-confinement were born the characters, “Mopsy” and “Flapper Fanny, which bring smiles and chuckles to thousands of readers six days a week in 75 newspapers throughout  the United States. Gladys, the daughter of Wilbur Parker of 15 Fremont street, Tonawanda, has been drawing “Flapper Fanny” for seven years, and “Mopsy” for eight. The two comic strip characters resemble Gladys herself right down to the rumpled hair and sprightly activity.
While she was ill and doing her first drawing, Gladys was mainly interested in pretty-young-things-in-fancy-dress, because she couldn’t be one herself. Once recovered, she perfected her drawing at the Triphagen [sic] School of Design in New York City and found innumerable humorous ascapades [sic] in her life to illustrate. When the cartoons began to find their way into publications, they were almost instantaneously popular with readers. Gladys sold her first carteen [sic] to the American Humor Magazine.
Two examples of the type of adventure Gladys’ comic characters experienced are shown here. They are two of a series of her drawings which are being reproduced in tomorrow’s issue of Look Magazine on page 16. The drawings will be seen from coast to coast. 
Although Gladys’ characters are constantly searching for ”the one and only man,” Gladys has found and married him in the person of Stookie Allen, a N. Y. Journal-American artist now overseas with the Armed Forces.
Who’s Who in American Art, Volume IV (1947) listed Parker as an illustrator at 18 East 60th Street, New York, New York. She was also a member of the Society of Illustrators. The Society’s club was the venue for Parker’s twentieth anniversary in New York City celebration. The event was covered in Look magazine, November 25, 1947, on pages 54 and 56. 

Parker’s Mopsy comic book debuted in 1948.  “Mopsy’s Momma” was published in Newsweek, March 14, 1949. 

In the 1950 census Parker lived alone at 229 West 43rd Street in Manhattan, New York City. Her occupation was newspaper cartoonist working for a syndicate. 


The Milwaukee Sentinel (Wisconsin), March 2, 1950, published Walter Winchell’s column and said “Cartoonist Gladys Parker has her Florida divorce”. The Daily News (Los Angeles, California), November 20, 1950, said Parker sought a divorce.
Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 20. (U.P.)—Cartoonist Gladys Parker plans to file suit today for divorce from Ben (Stookie) Allen, one-time University of Texas heavy-weight champion and ex-St. Louis Cardinals pitcher. 

Miss Parker, creator of the cartoon “Mopsy,” will charge mental cruelty, her attorneys said. The New York couple has no children, and she will ask no property settlement, they said. 

Allen also is a cartoonist and produces the “Keen Teens” feature.
Parker’s anticipated marriage to Maxie Rosenbloom was predicted in gossip columns for several years. 

During the Korean War, Parker’s visit to the G.I.’s in Korea was reported in the Atlanta Journal, July 31, 1952. 
In addition to drawing for the G.I.’s, Miss Parker still had to keep her daily and Sunday deadlines for the American newspapers publishing Mopsy. Her letters contained some mighty fascinating items, such as the constant demand for Mopsy drawings, how her 40-hour plane trip “had me walking on my knees,” the medal she received, the many photographs taken by candlelight and how she had to bathe out of tin cans and helmets. 

During her Korea sojourn, Gladys Parker lugged her drawing board and equipment to a different base or hospital each day, traveling with armed guards on account of guerrilla warfare.

She said, “It certainly was a thrill to know the G.I.’s recognized Mopsy, and they called me Mops.”
Parker’s Korea visit was mentioned in the Evening Star, January 27, 1958. 

Parker’s father passed away on November 25, 1954. An obituary appeared in the Evening News, November 26, 1954.

Wilburt C. Parker, 79, of 15 Fremont St., died yesterday, Nov. 25, 1954, at his home. Born in Tonawanda, Mr. Parker was a lifelong resident of the city and spent his working years as a boat builder. He is survived by a son, Charles J., of Tonawanda; by a daughter, Miss Gladys Parker, of Hollywood, Calif., and by a grandson, Charles J. Jr., of Tonawanda. Friends may call at the Hamp Funeral Home, 37 Adam St. where services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday with the Rev. Howard J. Davies officiating. Burial will be in Elmlawn Cemetery. 

Parker’s syndicated advice column, Dear Gals & Guys, debuted in the Anderson Herald (Indiana) beginning on June 29, 1958. The Bell Syndicate advertisement in Editor and Publisher, July 25, 1959, included Parker’s advice column, Dear Gals & Guys (far right). 


Parker passed away on April 27, 1966, in Glendale, California. She was laid to rest at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory. Her former husband, Ben Allen, passed away on January 6, 1971.  


Further Reading and Viewing
Gladys Parker: A Life in Comics, A Passion for Fashion (2022) by Trina Robbins
Heritage Auctions, Original Art
Kleefeld on Comics, Gladys Parker Fashions
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, Donald Erlenkotter Collection of Gladys Parker Papers
Tudor City Confidential, Gladys Parker

Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Bob Davis

Posted on: 24 August 2022 by CSH-Admin

Bob Davis was born Robert Bishop Davis on January 24, 1910, in Boston, Massachusetts, according to his transcribed birth certificate at Ancestry.com. His parents were Harry C. Davis and Ethel M. Sedgwick. 

Davis was three-months-old in the 1910 U.S. Federal Census which counted his parents, sister Dorothea, uncle Fred K. Sedgwick, and Beatrice Harmon, a lodger. They resided in Boston at 694 Huntington Avenue. Davis’ father, a Canadian, was a woodwork designer. 

On September 12, 1918, Davis’ father signed his World War I draft card. He was employed at the U.S. Navy Yard and his home address was 50 Turner Street in Brighton, Massachusetts. 

According to the 1920 census, the Davis family were Boston residents at 56 Gardner Street. Davis’ father was a superintendent at the Navy Yard. 

Boston city directories for 1929 and 1930 listed an artist named Robert Davis who resided at 406 Massachusetts Avenue. Davis’ art training is unknown. Davis has not yet been found in the 1930 census. His parents and sister remained in Boston.

Apparently Davis moved to New York City where he produced the strip Philo Vance for the Bell Syndicate. American Newspaper Comics (2012) said Davis drew, from 1931 to 1932, Philo Vance, a suave sleuth created by Willard Huntington Wright who used the pseudonym S.S. Van Dine. Davis signed the strip R.B.S. Davis which included the initial S for Sedgwick, his mother’s maiden name. (see Today in Comic Book History; scroll down to Turning Points by Maggie Thompson and look for “80 years ago November 28, 1941”) Davis produced at least three Philo Vance adaptations which were labeled E, F or G at the bottom of a panel. There were 24 strips in each adaptation. Story E was The Insurance Mystery. Story F was The Skull Mystery. Story G was The Transatlantic Mystery. From May 16 to of July 29, 1932, the Worcester Evening Gazette (Massachusetts) published all three stories, however, each story was missing at least one strip or more. The Transatlantic Mystery debuted in the State Journal (Lincoln, Nebraska), June 3, 1932. 

At some point Davis got married. 

The 1940 census said Davis and his wife, Ruth, were part of his parents’ household which included his sister, who was a display artist. They lived in Stow, Massachusetts at Lake Boone. Davis had four years of high school. He was a self-employed cartoonist. His wife was an undergraduate with two years of college. According to the census, in 1935 Davis and his wife were residents of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Davis signed his World War II draft card on October 16, 1940. His address was the Gleasondale Post Office in Stow. Later, it was crossed out and updated with 40 Benedict Avenue, Tarrytown, New York. Davis’ employer was Funnies Inc. in New York City. He was described as five feet ten inches, 155 pounds, with brown eyes and hair. 


Davis was mentioned in Ron Goulart’s Comic Book Culture: An Illustrated History (2000). 
Page 64 caption
Dick Cole was the creation of [Bill] Everett’s friend, and Funnies, Inc., colleague, Bob Davis. 

Bob Davis’ Dick Cole was also aboard and was one of the few schoolboy heroes to be found in American comic books. Both a writer and an artist, Bob Davis had sold stories to the detective pulps* and in the early 1930s drawn a short-lived newspaper strip about suave detective Philo Vance. 
Blue Bolt #1, June 1940

Davis’ comic book credits are at the Grand Comics Database and Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999. 

Davis’ tragic death was reported in The Daily Argus (Mount Vernon, New York), November 29, 1941.

Tarrytown Man Killed in Crash On Saw Mill
Car Hits Guard Rail, Somersaults into River Near Ashford Avenue

Dobbs Ferry—Robert B. Davis, thirty-one, of 40 Benedict Avenue, Tarrytown, was killed last night when his car swerved from the Saw Mill River Parkway, struck a stone pillar and plunged into the Saw Mill River, landing upside down in the water. The accident occurred about 1,000 feet south of Ashford Avenue.

According to police, Mr. Davis was driving north on the parkway when his automobile veered to the left, struck a stone pillar and somersaulted into the creek. The pillar was part of a guard rail on a small bridge over the Saw Mill River. The car landed in the water on its roof, with only the wheels exposed.

Lacked Rescue Equipment

Passing motorists notified Parkway Police who in turn summoned the Ardsley Fire Department. Fire Chief Hans Roeser rushed to the scene with a squad of volunteer firemen but were unable to be of assistance owing to lack of rescue equipment. The Dobbs Ferry Fire Department Rescue Squad, in command of Chief William French, was summoned with full equipment of floodlights, first-aid equipment and rescue apparatus. Dobbs Ferry Firemen Lawrence Dawson, Edward Buckley, John Yozzo and former Fire Chief James Brooks plunged into the river, fully clothed, in an attempt to extricate the trapped man.

The vehicle was so badly damaged that the firemen were unable to get into the interior of the vehicle, even after smashing the windshield and side windows. A tow car was called and the car was pulled by tow-rope on its side. After tearing open a door Davis was removed from the car to the bank of the creek where artificial respiration was administered.

Termed Dead At Hospital

After 15 minutes’ effort at resuscitation, Davis was removed to Dobbs Ferry Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival by Dr. Ed ward Ceccolinl, resident-physician. Dr. Ceccolini notified County Medical Examiner Amos O. Squire.

Police report that Davis’ wristwatch stopped at 9:10 P. M. and that the body was in the river one-half hour. Police said they were unable to determine immediately if Davis was killed by the impact or was drowned.

More than 1,000 motorists and onlookers jammed the parkway near the scene, of the accident until Parkway police in command of Captain Frank McCabe cleared the roadway.

The New York Times, November 29, 1914, said “Mr. Davis, who was 31 years old, was employed by Funnies Inc., of New York City. He was married but had no children.”

… Everett gave Hydroman the secret identity “Bob Blake” … It’s likely that Everett created Hydroman and used the first name of his best friend and colleague Bob Davis, the artist who followed up Everett’s work on the Chameleon in Target Comics and appeared in the same issues of Blue Bolt … In the 1961 [Jerry] DeFuccio letter, Everett speaks of Davis thus: “Bob Davis was, indeed, one of my best friends. He met his death on his way home to Tarrytown, when he apparently went to sleep at the wheel of his car (a sedan, not a sports car) and plunged into a shallow pond off the Saw Mill River Parkway. As I recall it, he did not drown, but died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. What made his untimely death so poignant to us was the fact that it occurred after an afternoon and evening of frolic and fun with Carl, myself, and a couple of others from the Funnies gang. I remember that Bob kept calling his wife, Ruth, to tell her he’d be on his way shortly, and we finally persuaded him to leave about 7:00 p.m. That was the end.” 

Davis was listed in Deaths Registered in the Town of Stow, 1941. His age was 31 years, ten months and four days. The cause of death was asphyxiation by drowning at Dobbs Ferry, New York. Davis was laid to rest at Brookside Cemetery. 


• There was another Bob Davis whose full name was Robert Hobart Davis. A list of his detective stories is at The FictionMags Index. He was profiled at ERBzine, Volume 3365. 

Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Ed Reed

Posted on: 10 August 2022 by CSH-Admin
Claude Edwin “Ed” Reed was born on December 13, 1907, in Fort Towson, Oklahoma, according to his World War II draft card. 
In the 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Reed was in the household of an uncle, Thomas J. Record, in Paris, Texas at 146 South 22. The fate of Reed’s parents is not known.
Reed attended Paris High School where he graduated in 1925. He produced eleven illustrations for the 1925 school yearbook, The Owl. Reed was sports editor of the school newspaper, Hi Hoots. 

The Quill, November 1937, profiled Reed and said
… After Ed had finished high school in Paris he studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. In 1929 he began to his sketches to the New Yorker, Life, and Judge. He contributed to the mid-depression torrent of comic magazines and their success. He lived a sort of gag-to-mouth existence, some weeks finding many of his ideas accepted, others none.
Reed estimates that between 1930 and 1934 he lived on an average of less than $7.50 per week. Much of this was eaten up in buying drawing materials for more submissions. He became an avid reader of newspaper classified advertising sections, and today turns to classified out of habit rather than out of need for a new job.
In 1934 he began drawing his daily square three times each week for the Dallas Journal, and its syndication, on a daily basis, was begun some months later by the Register and Tribune Syndicate of Des Moines, Iowa. …
… Those who knew Ed Reed when he came to Des Moines in 1934 with nothing but a big ambition and a bright new quarter, say that success has changed him not at all. He’s the same hardworking, sincere, appreciative lad he was then. He puts his money in the bank for the stormy day he hopes will never come. He is like a schoolboy with a new nickel every time he gets a fan letter (and he answers every one of them).
American Newspaper Comics (2012) said Reed’s Off the Record panel debuted November 19, 1934. 

Reed has not yet been found in the 1930 census. 
On December 28, 1936, Reed and Mary Anne Cullum were married in Dallas, Texas. The Des Moines Tribune (Iowa), December 28, 1936, reported the marriage. 
Ed Reed and Mary Cullum Marry Today 
Couple Wed in Dallas in Bride’s Home.
The marriage of Miss Mary Anne Cullum, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. Earl Cullum of Dallas, Tex. and Ed Reed of Des Moines, formerly of Dallas, is taking place Monday afternoon at the Cullum home. Only members of the immediate families are witnessing the ceremony being performed by the Rev. Jasper Manton, pastor of Trinity Presbyterian church and a boyhood friend of Mr. Reed. The couple will leave immediately for Des Moines. The bride has been a member of the amusements department staff of the Dallas News and Journal. She is a former student of the University of Texas and a graduate of Radcliffe college. Mr. Reed draws Off The Record cartoons. He was graduated from high school in Paris, Tex., and attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago. He and his bride will reside in the Cortez apartments. 
Editor and Publisher, January 16, 1937, published a photograph of the newlyweds. 
The 1940 census recorded Reed and his wife in the household of his father-in-law, A.E. Cullum. They resided in Dallas. 
On October 16, 1940, Reed signed his World War II draft card. His address was 3623 Overbrook Drive in Dallas. Reed’s employer was the Register and Tribune Syndicate. His description was five feet eleven inches, 195 pounds, with brown eyes and hair. 
The Paris News (Texas), December 17, 1990, said Reed moved to “London, England, in 1958. In 1960, he bought a 400-year-old home, Hawstead House, in the village of Broadway (England’s equivalent of Greenwich Village)”. Cartoonist Profiles #37, March 1978, printed two photographs of Reed at home and four Off the Record cartoons. 
Reed passed away on October 7, 1990, in Cheltenham, England. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas), October 11, 1990, published an obituary. 

Ed Reed, a retired nationally syndicated cartoonist, died of leukemia Sunday at a hospital in Cheltenham, England. He was 82. During the 1940s Mr. Reed was a cartoonist for the now-defunct Dallas Journal. He was syndicated in more than 400 newspapers across the United States and Europe. Off the Record and Three Bares were two of Mr. Reed’s many cartoons. Mr. Reed was a native of Paris and earned an art degree from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He started at the Journal after college. He retired during the mid-1980s and moved to Europe. Funeral: Monday at St. Saviour’s Catholic church in Broadway, England Survivor: Wife Mary Anne Reed of Broadway. 

Reed was remembered in the Paris News, December 17, 1990. 

Further Reading and Viewing
Cartoon Success Secrets: A Tribute to Thirty Years of Cartoonist Profiles, Philip Hurd and Ed Reed photograph
Look, December 7, 1937,  Off the Record with Ed Reed 
Feature Funnies #19, April 1939
Feature Comics #24, September 1939 
Feature Comics #25, October 1939 
Feature Comics #29, February 1940 
Crack Comics #1, May 1940 
Crack Comics #3, July 1940 
Crack Comics #9, January 1941 
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