TURNING POINTS by Maggie Thompson

Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for July 21-27, 2023…

195 years ago July 26, 1828 Pioneering British comics artist (and Punch contributor) Charles H. Bennett is born.

135 years ago July 23, 1888 Cartoonist Gluyas Williams is born.

130 years ago July 21, 1893 Cap Stubbs and Tippie creator Edwina Dumm is born. She is credited as the first U.S. full-time female editorial cartoonist.

130 years ago July 26, 1893 German artist and teacher George Grosz is born.

120 years ago July 26, 1903 Dutch artist Jaap Veenendaal (who works as “Javé”) is born.

100 years ago July 26, 1923 Writer-artist Jan Berenstain is born. The cartoonist is co-creator (with her husband, Stan) of the It’s All in the Family magazine cartoon series and the “Berenstain Bears” kids’ books.

100 years ago July 27, 1923 Artist Pat Boyette is born. His comics career begins at Charlton, and he goes on to draw for such publishers as DC, Marvel, and Warren.

90 years ago July 23, 1933 Tiny Tim by Stanley Link begins.

90 years ago July 24, 1933 Elzie Segar’s Thimble Theatre strip introduces foundling baby Swee’pea.

85 years ago July 27, 1938 Artist, writer, and witzend editor-publisher Bill Pearson is born.

80 years ago July 24, 1943 Steve Dowling’s Garth begins.

75 years ago July 21, 1948 Writer-artist Garry Trudeau is born. He creates the Doonesbury newspaper comic strip.

75 years ago July 25, 1948 George Ernest Studdy dies at age 70. He created the comics dog Bonzo.

70 years ago July 24, 1953 Dutch artist Eelco Harmsen van der Beek dies at age 55. He created the advertising character Flipje and (with Enid Blyton) the children’s Noddy series.

70 years ago July 25, 1953 MU Press writer-artist-editor Chuck Melville is born.

70 years ago July 26, 1953 Letterer Bob Pinaha is born.

65 years ago July 24, 1958 Writer-editor Bob Greenberger is born.

60 years ago July 24, 1963 Writer-artist Colleen Doran is born.

60 years ago July 25, 1963 Letterer-colorist George Roberts is born.

50 years ago July 23, 1973 Medal of Honor recipient and air ace Eddie Rickenbacker dies of pneumonia following a stroke at age 82. Obviously more famous for his other accomplishments, he was credited with having written the Ace Drummond and The Hall of Fame of the Air strips with writer-artist Clayton Knight.

50 years ago July 25, 1973 French artist Marcel Jeanjean dies at age 80.

40 years ago July 22, 1983 Artist Jack Rickard dies at age 61. He was especially known for his work on Mad, Li’l Abner, and Pauline McPeril.

30 years ago July 22, 1993 Spanish artist Ramón Tosas Fuentes (who worked as “Ivá”) dies in a traffic accident at age 52.

25 years ago July 22, 1998 Marjorie Norton dies of complications from osteoporosis at age 86. An artist on Disney’s animation team, she was the first female voice of Minnie Mouse.

20 years ago July 24, 2003 The writer-artist best known for creation of such Harvey characters as Richie Rich, Hot Stuff, and Stumbo, Warren Kremer, dies at age 82. He worked on such characters as Casper and Little Audrey, wrote many other stories, and worked for Marvel’s Star Comics line.

5 years ago July 26, 2018 Italian art director and artist Luigi Corteggi (who also worked as “Cortez”) dies at age 85.