"While still in high school, he tried to get a job with the Chicago Defender, one of the country's most notable African American newspapers, but its publisher, Robert Abbott, told him to finish his education first. Following school, he worked as a chauffeur and a mechanic, and got a job with the Pullman Company. He was always drawing, and posted his drawings on company bulletin boards. He was recommended for a staff position with the Minneapolis Star in 1938, but when he showed up for the interview, he was told that there was no such job.
"Finally, in 1948 he went to work for the Defender, doing layout, but soon started drawing cartooons for the paper. His first strip, in 1948, was called The Sparks . He took over Jay Jackson's strip Bungleton Green in the early 1950s and contributed to the cartoon features The Ravings of Professor Doodle and So What?. When Jay Jackson died in 1954, Commodore took over his role drawing editorial cartoons for the paper. From 1974 he drew a weekly full-page caricature for the cover of the Defender's weekly arts supplement, Accent. The series lasted for more than five years.
"Commodore and his wife retired to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1981, but from 1992 he resumed work for the Defender, contributing a weekly cartoon until his death in 2004.[1]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Commodore
Born in Racine. I never heard of him before.
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3 comments:
Orb's, Interesting information concerning Racine. Some good news for a change. Racine, has had many Black people of interesting nature for many years.
I marvel at the number of inventors and entrepreneurs Racine once had. The Industrial Revolution really boomed here.
We were taught white history in school. The only black man that existed was George Washington Carver. I assume it's different today.
There are classes specifically for African-American History. Unfortunately, most of these classes I've witnessed have been so out of control, not much teaching is happening.
I never heard of this man, either. It is a damn shame that so much pride and so much entrepreneurship happened right here in our city and we know so little about it.
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