Spotlight on writer/illustrator Jerry Craft! Jerry is an African American Literary Award winner (five times no less) and cofounder of the Schomburg Center’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival.
Jerry Craft at one of his many school lectures.
In addition to his numerous graphic novels and books he’s illustrated, Jerry is also the creator of the acclaimed comic strip Mama’s Boyz.
My daughter Tessa with the many Mama’s Boyz book collections we have that are dogeared from repeated viewings.
Jerry and I go back a ways. We met at King Features Syndicate back in the 1990s when we both worked in the King Features Comic Art Department.
Jerry and I commuting to work before the turn of the last century.
Jerry and I with the Production Supervisor of the KFS Comics Art Departm
ent, Frank Chillino, at the 1993 King Features Christmas party.
And here’s a more recent pic. Jerry is one of those friends where even if you don’t see them for awhile you can just pick up from where you left off the last time you met.
Jerry has put Easter Eggs in his books for my family (like naming a character in one of his graphic novels after my daughter Tessa). And here’s me returning the favor in the July 8, 2018 Sally Forth Sunday page where the Forth family is at a comic convention.
Note the Mama’s Boyz banner on the back wall in panel 5.
And last but not least an unabashed plug for Jerry Craft’s latest graphic novel, New Kid.
It’s the story of seventh grader, Jordan Banks. He’s the new kid in school at a prestigious private school far from the neighborhood he grew up in. And as if navigating a new school isn’t tough enough, Jordan also just happens to be one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.
June 2020 Update: Since my original post, Jerry’s book New Kid has gone on to win the prestigious Coretta Scott KingBook Award and The John Newbery Medal! The award ceremonies with Jerry’s acceptance speeches are linked to below.
Jerry Craft wins the Coretta Scott King Book Award for New Kid!
Jerry Craft’s graphic novel New Kid wins 2020 Newbery Medal!
“The major award in libraries is the John Newbery Medal for “the most distinguished American children’s book published the previous year”. This year, Jerry Craft won for his graphic novel New Kid. Other graphic novels had previously received honor citations in this category, but this is the first time a graphic novel has won the medal outright, awarded for the best literary work, as a book, not as a graphic novel or illustrated work. It won because of the story presented, which just happened to be told in words and pictures.”
Jerry Craft’s Acceptance Speech starts at the 47 minutes and 28 seconds mark.
Richard James Keefe November 19, 1925 – October 15, 1992
Military History
Enlisted 17 May 1943 to accept an appointment from St. Thomas Military Academy to Infantry Officers’ Candidate School. Reported for Active Duty on 18 Dec. 1943 with rank of Corporal. Was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, Infantry, at Fort Benning, Ga., 23 May 1944. Served as Rifle Platoon Leader and Executive Officer with Company I, 304th Infantry, 76th Division, in the United States for six months and in the European Theatre of Operations for eight months. Participated in Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe Campaigns. Was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for valor. Was promoted to 1st Lieutenant during combat in April 1945.
Served with the 3rd Battalion, 26th Infantry, 1st Division, at the war trials in Nürnberg , Germany. Served as Headquarters Company Commander, 3rd Battalion, 26th Infantry, and motor officer for the International Military Tribunal. Was promoted to the rank of Captain in August 1946, and was separated at Fort Dix, New Jersey on 14 October 1946.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, American Campaign Medal, European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal – with 3 battle stars, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, Reserve Medal.
Army Reserve: Joined the Army Reserve in 1947 and was assigned to the 409th Infantry Regiment, 103rd Division. Served as Regimental Motor Officer, Infantry Regiment, 103rd Division. Served as Regimental Motor Officer, Assistant Regimental Plans and Training Officer, Regimental Plans and Training Officer, and Regimental Supply Officer.
Short Tours of Active Duty while in Reserve: Active duty training with Minnesota Senior Army Instructor, Fort Snelling, 13 June 1949. Satisfactorily completed Amphibious Warfare Indoctrination Course, U.S. Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, Calif., from 11 Sept. 1949 to 26 Sept. 1949. Satisfactorily completed the Infantry School Associate Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Class #3, Fort Benning, Ga., from 2 April 1951 to 29 July 1951.
Reserve Activities: Attended weekly Reserve meetings on Tuesday Nights in addition to a two-week tour of duty every year, usually the last two weeks of August.
Appointed Reserve Commissioned Officer grade of Major in the Army of the United States on 6 September 1955.
Appointed Reserve Commissioned Officer grade of Lieutenant Colonel in the Army of the United States on 5 September 1962.
Richard Keefe retired with the grade of Lieutenant Colonel.
Richard J. Keefe, age 66, of Golden Valley. Survived by wife, Dolores; daughter & son-in-law, Julianne & Kyle Jenson; sons and daughters-in-law, Michael & Elizabeth, Paul & Jodie, Timothy & Diane; sons, Thomas, James, Nicholas, Gregory; 15 grandchildren; sister, E. Patricia & husband, Donald Whittredge; brothers and sisters-in-law, J. Byrne & Helen and David & Peggy Keefe, and nieces & nephews. Preceded in death by brother, John and sister, Mary Keefe; sons, baby twin boys Keefe.
Member of Serra Club of Hennepin-Twin Cities, American Society for Quality Control, and Retired Officers Club. Life member of Reserve Officer Association. Active in the Church of the Good Shepherd, Good Shepherd School, and Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School.
Funeral Monday, 9:30 am from Gearty-Delmore Robbinsdale Chapel, 39th & W. Broadway, and Mass of Christian Burial 10 am at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 145 Jersey Ave. S. Interment Ft. Snelling. Friends may call 4-7 pm Sunday. Prayer Service 5 pm Sunday. Memorials preferred to Good Shepherd Parish or Hospice Program at North Memorial Medical Center.
Dick Keefe wins 1st Prize at a dance contest and gets an autographed bill from the famous band leader, Horace Heidt.
A little back story on the 1st prize Dick Keefe won at a dance contest hosted by the famous band leader Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights.
Family relations say a youthful Dick Keefe bore a resemblance to another Irish hoofer, actor Donald O’Connor.
Dick Keefe in 1943 on left, Donald O’Connor on the right.
By 1950 Captain Richard J. Keefe was the dance chairman at the Armed Forces Officers Club near Fort Snelling, Minnesota.
Minneapolis Morning Tribune – May 16, 1950
Horace Heidt (May 21, 1901 – December 1, 1986)
Big band leader Horace Heidt poses for a portrait in circa 1945. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Horace Heidt was an American pianist, big band leader, and radio and television personality. His band, Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights, toured vaudeville and performed on radio and television during the 1930s and 1940s. From 1932 to 1953, he was one of the more popular radio bandleaders, heard on both NBC and CBS.
Heidt and his band played on the NBC Pot o’ Gold radio show (1939–41). The 1941 film Pot o’ Gold, starred James Stewart and Paulette Goddard, featured Heidt portraying himself with his band.
Here’s a link to Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights circa 1950, around the time Dick Keefe won the dance contest.
The following are two Minneapolis venues that Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights were known to have played.
The Minneapolis Auditorium
From Twin Cities Music Highlights: “Bandleader Horace Heidt hosted a 2 1/2 hour musical review from the Minneapolis Auditorium on October 22, 1950, that was broadcast nationally over CBS radio.”
The arena held 10,000 people and was built in 1927. It was demolished in 1988 to make way for the Minneapolis Convention Center.
The Orpheum Theater
Fom Twin Cities Music Highlights: “The format was to show a movie and then the band would come out for a 15 minute session and then back to the movie. This went on all day and was one hell of a treat to pay a quarter to get in and be treated to all this tremendous big-band music. Big bands that appeared were Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights with the Triple-tonguing Trumpeters; Artie Shaw with “Little Jazz;” Roy Eldridge, fresh out of the Army, wearing high-water trousers; Sammy Kaye and his “So You Want To Lead A Band?” show.
Based on the comic art classes Buscema gave in the 1970s, and with text provided by none other than Stan Lee, it’s a great primer on the art of comic book storytelling.
Provides solid instruction with lesson plans that focus on all aspects of comic storytelling. The page which lists the different kinds of pen nibs is worth the price of admission alone.
“A gold mine of essential information for every aspiring comics artist. Highly recommended.” –Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics
This book will bring you up to speed on color theory and the art of lettering with tons of info for working digitally.
Note: You could probably do better on price than the the Amazon prices in the link for this one. A google search from used book stores may be your best bet.
I love Terry Moore’s drawing style and he gives great pointers here culled from his personal experience working in the field.
The book shown above is out of print, but the chapters are available digitally as five separate how-to books available on Kindle and Comixology through Amazon.
From Amazon; “Written for pros and amateurs alike, Terry Moore addresses the questions and challenges artists find after their art school education… Moore details his step-by-step process making a comic book from drawing board to pdfs. This book is loaded with timely material geared toward the world of comics as it is today.”
How to draw comics with an eye on the academic. Scott McCloud first put comics under the microscope with his 1993 book, Understanding Comics. Here he expands on it.
“Only Scott McCloud could organize his thoughts on comics like this. Scott’s talent as a cartoonist not only makes him intimate to insights no outsider can see but also gives him the power to show it to the world. Will it be controversal? Does it live up to the promise of Understanding Comics? Happily, the answer to both questions is yes!” — Jeff Smith (Bone)
Recipient of a Reuben Award for “Cartoonist of the Year” from the National Cartoonist Society, Tom Richmond is probably best know for his work for Mad magazine. Here he lays out what goes into drawing a great caricature.
From Amazon… “In this comprehensive title, famed animator Preston Blair shares his expertise on how to develop a cartoon character, create dynamic movement, and coordinate dialogue with action. Topics include character development, line of action, dialogue, timing, and, of course, animation! This valuable resource provides all the inspiration and information you need to begin drawing your own animated characters.”
First published in the 1960s, the following Jack Hamm books are a mainstay on my bookshelf. Highly recommended!
A much neglected aspect of cartooning is staying healthy and taking care of yourself. This book is a great primer to make sure you can survive the long haul in this field.
There’s many more art books I could list – Rendering in Pen and Ink by Guptill and any of the Andrew Loomis books come to mind – but I think the preceding is at least a start.
As mentioned with the Jack Hamm books, they are all on my bookshelf and are all well worn from years of use.
Note: If money is tight (and when isn’t it), some of these books can be checked out from the library. That way you can give them a test run before investing in them.
Sophia Keefe’s interview with her grandmother Dolores Keefe for a school assignment in May of 2009 regarding an important choice she had made in her life.
Julia Kasmar with daughter, Dolores.
My name is Dolores Keefe and I was born May 14th, 1928. Here is the story of my choice in life.
The Great Depression
Since I was born right before the 1930’s you probably know that I lived through it. It wasn’t that hard for my family in particular, or really the whole neighborhood, because everyone had the same things.
1929 -Julia Kasmar with daughters Margie and Dolores. Son Robert is in the background.
Toys for us were either made ourselves or we didn’t have any. Our parents did not have the time or the money to be able to buy us simple playthings.
As for clothes, no one had that many things to wear. For girls, we had a school dress, a play dress, and a party dress. Boys had the same sort of thing except they had shirts and trousers.
1931 – Left to Right: Barbara Jalma, Margie Keefe, Theresa Jalma, Dolores Keefe and Robert Keefe. Dolores’s Grandma Rose is standing behind them (Julia’s mother).
Schools did not give out much paper homework because we couldn’t afford to print it much. Instead, we would take turns at the blackboard, one at a time, solving the day’s problems. Our subjects were arithmetic, English, social studies, and science.
After school we would go to the soda shop and buy a Coca-Cola, it was the new drink. The bottles were served ice cold and were glass, so you could see the condensation dripping down the sides. They tasted wonderful.
But the best part were the tin bottle caps that we collected. We would save them up until we had five of them, and then we would give the caps to the man behind the counter and he would give us a pad of paper, which said Coca-Cola in big letters on the top. He would also give you a pencil. Everyone wanted one of those. It was the way that the company got money.
After school, a child was selected to clap the blackboard erasers. We had a schedule to find out whose turn it was to clap the erasers.
I remember that I was in the school orchestra. I played the violin and loved it immensely. I loved the sound it made and smell of the wood and everything about it.
Dolores’s Violin
We had concerts a few times a year, and once a year, we would put together a record of our songs and of us playing them. That was very exciting. And all of the children looked forward to the time of year when we got to record ourselves.
We did not have any city busses, but we used trolleys, which had tracks all through the neighborhood. Because the trolleys could not turn, it was a drag to get home because the engineer would have to get out of the trolley and pull the cables to turn, which took quite a long time.
Trolley in Minneapolis.
The dentist in our city was one of the first dentists to use fluoride for mouth hygiene. A bunch of children would get our teeth cleaned, and then we would parade in a big group all around the neighborhood and smiling at everyone to be able to show off our beautiful white teeth. The dentist used us to advertise his new way of cleaning teeth. The people who saw our beautiful teeth would send they’re children to that particular dentist, and maybe even go to see him theirselves. That was basically the depression for me.
World War II
Then came World War II. It was much different than the depression was. I was in high school during the war. High school was 9, 10, 11, and 12 just like it is today.
1942 – Left to Right: Margie, Dolores’s Grandma Rose, Robert, Jeanne and Dolores.
Dolores and Jeanne with parents Luke and Julia Kasmar.
It was true that girls did not listen to all the information about the war. We had no telephones, but we did have radios. Boys listened way more than the girls and all the time. This is because right after they got out of high school, they would be drafted to go and fight for our country.
Dolores’s brother Robert served as a Private First Class in the Army. Sent stateside after sustaining injuries on the troopship heading for Europe.
As a matter of fact, three boys quit high school early. They went to the army lied about their age, and were sent overseas to fight. In a matter of months all three of the boys were killed while fighting. All of my schoolmates and us were shocked because we had known and been friends with these boys. And this was a very weird feeling to hear that one of your schoolmates was dead, killed in battle.
After high school the girls had a matter of three career choices. One was marriage, which I was not considering at all at the time. Nursing and secretarial work were the other two choices. When I got out of high school I signed up for the Navy. But, just on the boat going in, I got sick on the water and had to go back to land. So the Navy was out.
The next job I applied to was an airline stewardess. I also failed in this attempt because my eyesight was not perfect, and I had to wear glasses. You had to have perfect eyesight to be able to work on the airlines. After that, I applied for the job as a nurse and finally got in.
I was a surgical assistant for a doctor. I did that job for a pretty long time. It was strange that I could get on a boat, turn green, and start vomiting, but I could perform a surgery and cut some one open no problem. I spent years as that and still I did not think once about marrying. But then I met Richard Keefe.
Remember my saying that I wouldn’t get married? Well I lied. I have to admit that it was a conflict to make this decision. I loved Richard with all my heart, but I did not know if wanted to get committed. Well I decided that I did want to do this.
Wedding Day – November 21, 1953
So I got married, and had ten kids. Julie was the first, and my only girl.
Julie Keefe – born August 27, 1954.
A few years later I was pregnant again with twins. But something went horribly wrong. They were five months premature. The doctor got them out of my stomach, but a few hours later they died. I was heartbroken.
It was very hard for me. I think what made that easier was the fact that I still had Julie back at the house waiting for me.
Years later my first son was born, Mike. And after Mike came Paul. After Paul, Tim was born. A few years later after Tim, Tom arrived, and then Jim soon followed. Nick was born then, and finally Greg, the youngest.
Although he is years younger than all of his siblings, Greg grew to be at LEAST a foot taller than all of them.
Greg and Jim
What everyone enjoyed were all the birthdays we had. We had a thing called “Treats Around the Table” so everyone would get a gift even though it was only one person’s birthday. We all liked that. It also kept everyone from complaining.
Treats Around the Table on Julie’s birthday in 1970.
Most of my kids were born during the Korean and the Vietnam War. To tell you the truth, I paid little attention to the wars because I was very busy raising a family and taking care of the house. To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember which one happened first! I did not even know anyone that was in it. It was nice to be able to ignore a war when it is going on, and pretend that people aren’t getting hurt every day.
Since Julie was the only girl, she moved out soon after she was married and she lives in Colorado. Mike married Liz, and they now live in Delaware with 10 kids of their own. Paul married Jodie, and has 4 kids. Tim married Diane and has 4 kids also. Tom has two daughters, Heather and Crystal. Jim married Deb, and has 4 kids. Nick is not married and has no kids. Greg has two daughters. So I have many grandchildren.
My Choice
I simply decided that I could not live without my husband. I stopped working when I married.
Dick and Dolores Keefe at Tim and Diane’s wedding in 1984.
As for the twins, they would have been in their 50’s today.
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