Wayne Campbell (1921-1996)
Teacher and cartoonist Wayne Eugene Campbell was born on April 12, 1921, in rural Benton County, Indiana, and lived much of his life in the Boswell area. He graduated from Boswell High School in 1939 and Central Normal College in Danville, Indiana, in 1943. During his four years in the U.S. Army, he contributed drawings to Yank and Stars and Stripes. In civilian life, Campbell drew cartoons for the Milwaukee Journal, but he didn't gain national exposure until 1952 when Press Features Syndicate released his comic strip, Shorty. The name was fitting, for the strip was shorter than normal and designed to meet the needs of newspapers short on newsprint. The Chicago Sun-Times syndicated a second Campbell cartoon, Oh, Teacher, beginning in 1955. It lasted until 1958. Campbell drew on his experiences as a history teacher at St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, for both features. He held that position for thirty years and retired to his hometown, Boswell. Campbell died on May 4, 1996, in Lafayette, Indiana.
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| A promotional advertisement for Wayne Campbell's syndicated cartoon panel Oh, Teacher. |
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| And an example of the cartoon itself. |
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| Campbell used a different style for his magazine gag cartoons. Here is one from an unknown date, published in an unknown journal. |
Text and captions copyright 2011, 2024 Terence E. Hanley
