Thursday, September 29, 2016
Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Bud Sauers
Marshall “Bud” Sauers was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on May 31, 1906, according to the Wisconsin birth index at Ancestry.com. His middle name was “Clifferd” and parents were Frank C. Sauers and Julie Peterson.
The 1910 U.S. Federal Census recorded Sauers as the fourth of five children whose father was a machine tender at a sulfite mill. The family resided in Eau Claire at 615 Forest Street. The same address was in the 1920 census. Specific information about Sauers’s education and art training has not been found. Sometime after the census Sauers moved from Eau Claire.
According to the 1930 census, Sauers was a Des Moines, Iowa resident at 939 Nineteenth Street. His occupation was newspaper artist. The census recorded his middle name initial as E. The 1930 Des Moines city directory listed Sauers as an artist with The Register & Tribune newspaper. His address was 756 16th Street.
Sauers’s early responsibilities at the newspaper were described in Editorial Cartooning (1949).
One of the outstanding young artists in the field of cartography is Bud Sauers, staff artist for the Des Moines Register and Tribune. Bud started out dressing up charts and graphs with bits of cartooning to arrest the eye of the reader. He developed more and more into the field until he now handles full sized cartograph maps on any subject. If the paper carries a feature story on India, the chances are that Bud will be called upon to do a cartograph on that country, showing in cartooned pictures what the terrain is like, what some of India’s chief products are, the natural resources, the animal life, and anything else which might dress up the map, and interest the reader.
Bud’s approach in tackling an animated map is o start with a base map from the morgue. He studies the area of the map he is to draw, and looks over any aerial photos that might be available. The research is usually left to a person from another department, since the actual drawing of charts, maps, diagrams, etc., consumes his full time. If it is to be a map showing the natural resources of an area, or the native animals, or simply the various crops raised in the country, his researcher supplies him with all the necessary material. Bud works up in pencil a large scale map showing everything that has been compiled for him, fitting in all the facts and figures where they belong. When this is completed, he goes over the entire map to see how it looks artistically. Alterations are made here and there, if necessary, and when the layout is pronounced complete, it is ready to be inked.
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| Iowa Oddities by Bud Sauers, debut episode |
American Newspaper Comics (2012) said Sauers was one of five artists to draw Iowa Oddities for the Register & Tribune. Sauers was the first artist whose run started January 12, 1936 and ended February 28, 1937. He did a filler on November 10, 1940 during Ken Eaton’s run. The other artists were Gene Cannoy, Henry Landgren and Tom Swaja.
The 1938 Des Moines city directory said Sauers was the department foreman. He and his wife, Irene, lived at 3822 Columbia Street. The listing included his middle name initial, E.
The same address was in the 1940 census which said Sauers’s occupation was art department manager. The census said he had completed three years of college. However, Sauers’s World War II enlistment record said he had one year of college. Sauers, an advertising agent, enlisted December 28, 1942. The Iowa World War II service record said he was in active duty from January 4, 1943 to December 12, 1944. Sauers served in the “217 CAA”, “217 AA Group” and “1688th Engineers”.
After the war, Sauers’s entry in 1946 Des Moines city directory said he was an artist who lived with his wife, a clerk, at 1342 30th Street. Both were employed at the Register & Tribune. In 1954 the couple’s address was 2425 50th Street.
Sauers passed away August 19, 1990, in his hometown, Eau Claire, according to the Wisconsin death index. Sauers death was reported in the Register, August 22, 1990.
Marshall “Bud” Sauers, 84, of Eau Claire, Wis., formerly of Des Moines, died of a heart ailment Sunday at an Eau Claire nursing home. Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at First Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, with burial at Lutheran Church Cemetery. Mr. Sauers was born in Eau Claire and lived in Des Moines for 41 years. He retired as chief editorial artist for The Des Moines Register, and moved to Eau Claire in 1971. He was an Army veteran of World War II. Survivors include his wife, Irene; and a brother, Glenn Sauers, and two sisters, Bernice Sauers and Lucille Quick, all of Eau Claire. Lenmark-Gomsrud Funeral Home in Eau Claire is handling arrangements.
—Alex Jay
Labels: Ink-Slinger Profiles
Comments:
Hi Allan
I can across some very interesting character sketches dating back to the early 1900's and could be connected to a famous person of whom I would like to discuss.
If interested, can you email me at cnodland@mobiusexhibits.com if interested in discussing please.
Thanks
I can across some very interesting character sketches dating back to the early 1900's and could be connected to a famous person of whom I would like to discuss.
If interested, can you email me at cnodland@mobiusexhibits.com if interested in discussing please.
Thanks
Whoops....not Jeanette...my great-aunt, Irene. Bud did come from a family of five...born and raised in EC. Thanks again for recognizing his talent!
And my great-uncle Bud, was also known in the family as being quite the jokester! Growing up myself, I loved visiting with him...he moved back to Eau Claire soon after my great-aunt Irene passed away from a heart attack. I have so many pictures of Bud...and a couple of him working for The Register! Great family heirlooms for me! Thank you again for doing this piece on Buddy. His father was Frank Charles and mother, Julia Sauer. And the interesting piece about their last name is that all four of Bud's siblings signed their last name as "Sauer" but Buddy always signed it "Sauers" and no one then ever knew why.
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