Happy 90th Birthday Dick Rogers!
Born June 19, 1929 today Dick joins the Senior Strippers Club.
Dick began his cartooning career assisting George Crenshaw in the early 1960s. Crenshaw had been doing the Nubbin comic strip, and then created the Belvedere panel in 1962.
Around that time he took on Dick as an assistant.
In 1970 Dick started the Johnny Wonder feature.
The next year, following the death of Bob Barnes,
he began helping Ruth Barnes on The Better Half until 1979.
above: 1975 The Better Half (this and the Johnny Wonders via Heritage Auctions)
After passing The Better Half to another cartoonist Dick relaxed for a few years,
continuing only with the Johnny Wonder daily and Sunday panels and pages.
In 1985 he took over the Kidspot puzzle panel that Leo White had started in 1981.
Johnny Wonder continued until 1993.
Dick Rogers retired from Kidspot in 2013, passing that torch to Dan Thompson.
On his retirement the Santa Cruz Sentinel featured the local cartoonist.
GETTING TO KNOW
Dick Rogers
Born: June 19, 1929, in Tulare
Family: Wife Alma, children Sandra and Greg, grandchildren Amanda and Gregory
Education: Mission Hill Middle School, Santa Cruz High School, Cabrillo College, San Jose State
First job: Rogers delivered the Santa Cruz Sentinel while a student at Mission Hill Middle School. ”They don”t really start that young anymore.”
Spare change: While a student, Rogers used to get paid 81 cents per comic for San Jose State”s student newspaper. ”It wasn”t really a lot, was it?”
Staying active: Rogers used to golf three times per week, but hasn”t golfed in two months due to surgery. Still, he has a golf club and 11 balls sitting in his home office.
Collecting: Rogers has a large collection of original comics including ”The Flintstones,” ”Popeye” and ”Li”l Abner.” ”A bunch of us comics used to get together and raffle them off.
Wishing Dick all the best.