Thursday, March 19, 2015
Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Bill Seidcheck
William Randolph “Bill” Seidcheck was born in Illinois on May 31, 1906. His birthplace was recorded in census records and his birth date is from the Department of Veterans Affairs Death File at Ancestry.com.
In the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Seidcheck was the second of three children born to Louis, a dentist, and Laura, a German emigrant. They resided in Hinsdale, Illinois at 146 North Monroe Street.
Downers Grove, Illinois, was Seidcheck’s hometown in the 1920 census. He lived on Odgen Avenue with his parents and four siblings.
Seidcheck has not been found in the 1930 census. His parents and five siblings remained in Downers Grove.
In 1934, Seidcheck copyrighted the Adventures of Spangola, which might have been comics-related. Seidcheck copyrighted and sold his comic strip, Betty Brighteyes, to the General Features Syndicate in 1936. The weekly newspaper Hastings News (Hastings on the Hudson, New York) published it beginning March 19, 1937. The strip’s run ended March 11, 1938.
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2/25/1938
Seidcheck’s father passed away March 9, 1938 in Chicago.
Seidcheck, his mother and two younger brothers were in Los Angeles, California, as recorded in the 1940 census. Their address was 1966 North Van Ness Avenue. In 1935, Seidcheck was a resident in New York City. His highest level of education was the fourth year of high school. Seidcheck’s current occupation was an artist in toy manufacturing although he was unemployed for the past 58 weeks.
During World War II, Seidcheck was in the army. He enlisted September 28, 1942 and was discharged September 7, 1945. His brother, Louis, an army private, passed January 4, 1945. His mother as listed as next of kin and her address was 2486 Cheremoya Street, Hollywood. She passed away May 13, 1970 in Los Angeles.
Seidcheck passed away June 4, 1973 according to his military death file. The Social Security Death Index said he resided in Honolulu, Hawaii. Seidcheck was buried in Hollywood, California.
—Alex Jay
Labels: Ink-Slinger Profiles
