Stripper's Guide

Pneumonia Claims Mrs. Caroline Parker

Tonawanda, April 11— Mrs. Caroline Parker, 35 years old, wife of Wilbert Parker, died last evening at her home, No. 196 Young Street, after an illness of a week with pneumonia. The deceased was born in Tonawanda and had lived here all her life. Besides her husband, a daughter and a son, Mrs. Parker is survived, by her mother, one brother and three sisters, all of the Tonawandas. Mrs. Parker was a member of Twin City Council, Daughters of America. The funeral will be held Monday afternoon. 

Carnival

Odd Fellows’ Temple Tuesday March 7th at 8:15 sharp. 75 children of the Tonawandas in fancy, group, ballet, and solo dancing. The grand march will be led by Miss Elizabeth Preston and Master Allan Ives, Miss Laura Bejtz and Master Edmund Comstock. A group cake walkers led by Reta Cole and Gladys Parker. A group of hoop dancers led-by Miss Gertrude Blacklask and Miss Alice Shinskey. Solo by Miss Grace Hlckey. A group of Spanish dancers. Solo by Miss Adel Kane. A group of Dutch clog dancers. Solo by Miss Agnes Lapp. …

... Born and raised in Tonawanda, Miss Parker attended the Delaware school, and then Tonawanda high school. She first gained public attention, where, at the age of two, she was announced the winner of a baby beauty contest, and was acclaimed “the cutest kid in the Tonawandas”.

Grandmother an Early Instructor

At the age of four, she went to live with her grandmother. Day after day, at the knee of her grandparent, she absorbed the technique of dress making, and it was here that she learned the fundamentals of this art, which today make her one of the outstanding dress makers in the country.

Largest Class Is Graduated 

Tonawanda Grammar School Awards Diplomas to 124 Students

The largest number of grammar students in the history of Tonawanda graduated last night at the Tonawanda high school building and became eligible for entry next year into the high school course. There were 124 grammar school students to receive diplomas. ...

... A recitation “The Enchanted Skirt” by William Smith was then given, followed by the reading of the class Will by Miss Gladys Parker. ...

Presbyterians Will Give Entertainment

The Men's Class of the First Presbyterian church will give a theatrical performance at Tonawanda high school auditorium tomorrow evening. 

The program will be given entirely by local talent. Solos will be sung by Miss Ingham Nutley and Miss Bessie Perrigo. Miss Gladys Parker will present a number of Scottish dances, including the Highland fling and sword dances. ...

Chas. B. Parker Dies Suddenly

One of the City’s Oldest and Best Known Citizens Succumbs to Paralytic Stroke

Veteran of Civil War

Resident of Tonawandas Since Age of 19—Commander of Scott Post, G. A. R.—Rank and File Members to Be Pallbearers at Military Funeral.

Charles B. Parker, 79 years old, died yesterday afternoon at his home, 15 Fremont street, after an illness of little more than two days. He was stricken with paralysis of his brain and throat Sunday evening. Prior to the stroke Mr. Parker had been in excellent health.

Mr. Parker was one of Tonawanda’s oldest and best known citizens. He was a veteran of the Civil War and had been commander of the W. B. Scott Post, G. A. R. For the past 15 years. He was born at Sackett’s Harbor, N. Y. He came to the Tonawandas to live when 18 years old and had maintained his residence here since.

During the Civil War he joined the Federal forces and fought for two years for the preservation of the Union.

Military Funeral

A military funeral will be held. Arrangements have been made to have a firing squad and pallbearers from the rank and file. The funeral will be held Friday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock from the late residence. Rev. H. A. Berlin of the First Presbyterian church will conduct the services and burial will be at Elmlawn. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/106312546/charles-b.-parker

Surviving are a wife, and son, Wilbur Parker; two grandchildren, all of Tonawanda; a brother, Albert Parker and two sisters, Miss Helen Parker and Mrs. Rebecca Warren, Sackett’s Harbor. 

The Junior Class entertained the Seniors at a very pretty little dance Thursday evening, May 29th, in the high school auditorium. Music was furnished by the Twentieth Century Orchestra and dancing was the feature of the evening although interesting events were part of the evening’s amusement.

… The last thing on the program was a novelty. Miss Gladys Parker attired in a Japanese costume have a solo dance. With the lights of the auditorium out and with stage lights only it made a very pleasing effect. 

After graduating from Tonawanda high school in 1925, Miss Parker obtained a position with the Meyers lumber company. This job was far from fulfilling the desires of this girl who was reported as being “not exceptionally clever at drawing, but a whiz at dressmaking.” It is said by people who knew her as a plain working-girl, that whenever a special event arose, she would make herself a new dress, and always turn up one of the best dressed women in attendance.

Being extremely ambitious and reluctant to remain a stenographer for the rest of her life, Miss Parker with the help of her family, attended the Albright Art school, working during the day, and going to school nights. Here, she studied design and figure drawing under Frank Foot McQuary [The Buffalo Evening News and Buffalo Courier-Express, June 9, 1927, said Parker was awarded honorable mention in Mrs. Franc Root McCreery’s costume design class]. 

Sponsored Riviera Show

On the side, dress making assumed the aspect of a small business. Little by little her small circle of customers grew, until finally, she devoted her full time to this trade, as she found she could make more at this than working for the lumber company. It was at this time that the style show was presented at the Riviera. [The Evening News, September 12, 1934, said “A modest advertisement, designed also by herself, in the Evening News, announced the first fashion revue which she sponsored. It was held in the newly opened Rivera theater on the evenings of April 19th, 20th and 21st of 1927. The models were six of her personal friends, all local girls.”]

Completing her course of study at the Albright Art school, Miss Parker left for New York City to continue her work at the Traphagen art school there. Here, she gave full play to her artistic talents, and as a student, won several prizes for work submitted in various contests. [The New York Times, October 30, 1927, said Parker was one of fourteen student winners in the costume-designing and poster contests conducted by the Arnold, Constable & Co.] Graduating from this school, after the fashion of all newcomers with something to sell, she began peddling her wares and looking for the break would get her “in”.

Hers is the same old story of the steps to success, experienced by all who would make good in a big way, with one refusal following another. At last a sale, another, and still another, and the Tonawanda girl found herself able to eke out a living unaided by the folk at home. Finally she was offered a job, designing costumes for chorus girls. A steadier existence was this, but the same ambition that caused her to quit her lumber company job, soon forced her into other fields and finally into cartooning.

U. P. Adds Two Strips to Blanket Service

Six Comics Now Issued Daily to 158 Clients, Bourjaily Announces—Other Features Added to Service

United Press Features has added two strips to its blanket service, making a total of six now issued daily to 158 clients, Monte F. Bourjaily, manager, announced this week. 

The two strips are “Gay and Her Gang,” by Gladys Parker, and “Malaria Muggs,” by Ben Dave Allen. Mr. Allen was graduated from the University of Texas where he was a football star and “three letter man.” After college he attended art school in Chicago and spent time drawing animated cartoons for the movies.

Miss Parker is the 19-year-old daughter of Wilbur C. Parker, boat builder of Tonawanda, N. Y. Last year she opened a costume shop in Tonawanda, but subsequently left there for New York to continue her art studies. In October, 1927, she won first prize in a costume contest open to all art school students in New York. She was working as a costume designer when engaged by United Press to develop her comic strip.

Tonawanda Girl Drawing Comic for News Service

Miss Gladys Parker, 19, Daughter of W. C. Parker, Fremont Street, Producing “Gay and Her Gang” for United Press—Has Lucrative Contract

Miss Gladys Parker, 19 years old, daughter of Wilbert C. Parker, 15 Fremont street, has been signed by the United Press association as one of its comic strip producers. Announcement of Miss Parker’s success in this connection was made recently by the magazine, Editor and Publisher.

Well Known Here

Miss Parker is well known in Tonawanda. Several years ago she won a prize in an art designing contest in Buffalo. She later opened a costume shop in Tonawanda, which she gave up about a year ago to continue her art studies in New York. 

After going to the metropolis Miss Parker showed her ability as an art student by winning first prize in a costume contest open to all art students in New York city. In the meantime she developed a talent for producing a comic strip, entitled “Gay and Her Gang,” showing [illegible] ability that the United Press signed her to a contract at a [illegible] salary. 

“Gay and Her Gang” is now being produced by the United Press as one of its leading [illegible]. …

Flapper Fanny was born at this time. She gained a great amount of popularity with her cracks tuned to the temperament of the day, and was soon syndicated throughout the United States by the NEA feature service. Back to dress designing again, although continuing with her newspaper work, and another fashion show.

Not much success at first, but then a buyer. One by one they came, until at last, the ambitious Miss Parker was officially “in”.

Ben Dave Allen to Wed New York City Girl Early Date

New York, May 9,—(SFL).—Ben Dave Allen, 26, sports writer and cartoonist, formerly of CorsIcana, Texas, where he was born, and Miss Gladys Parker, 21 [sic], artist of 32 West Forty-seventh street, this city, obtained a marriage license at the municipal bureau today and announced they would be married here later by the city clerk. 

Mr. Allen is the son of Guy and Rena Shirley ALLen and lives at 42 West Fiftieth street, this city. Miss Parker is a native of Tonawanada, N. Y., and the daughter of Wilbur and Caroline Phillips Parker.

W.C. Parker of 15 Fremont street announces the marriage of his daughter, Gladys M., to Ben Dave Allen, which was solemnized on May 10 [sic], in New York City.

Gladys Parker recently left the United Press where her comic strip "Gay and Her Gang" achieved wide spread popularity. She is now drawing a comic and also a fashion strip for N.E.A., one of the largest feature syndicates in the country. She is a graduate of Tonawanda high school and is one of the few women to make good in producing strip illustrating for newspapers. She is 20 years old and made her descent on New York only three years ago.

She was more enthusiastic about Richmond. “It’s like a grand city,” she said. “I’ve never gotten better Coca-Colas.” And Glady is a “coke” authority. She drinks a case a day and has it in her contract that the house for whom she fashions clothes must provide her with her daily supply. Sixty cigarettes daily are her quota and she only eats once a day. Most of the time it’s chili, she says. “I never eat but one thing at a meal and usually it’s the same thing for month or more. I ate only chili daily for two years,” she explained. “But then I got sort of tired of it!” ...

Miss Parker’s career has been varied. She’s 28 now, she says so, but, as we said before, looks like an infant. At 15 she owned her own dress ship in her home town of Tonawanda, N. Y. Later she went to New York, where she designed costumes, and did gag drawings and comic strips. “Flapper Fanny,” her most popular character, went on and on for seven [sic] years. 

Today she remains one of the cleverest of America’s younger artists. Mopsy, her latest cartoon character, daily spreads her modern philosophy from the pages of America’s newspapers, while in New York, smart women dressers trade at the shop of Gladys Parker.

The other day Mopsy, in characteristic fashion, turned to one of her boyfriends and flippantly remarked, “Well, at least I’ve got a mind to make up.”

This is typical of the little lady, and the truth, when referred to her creator. For indeed, Miss Parker has a mind which coupled with her strong ambition was responsible for her march, straight to the top of the heap.

Twin Cities’ Gladys Parker Draws Nationally Famous Cartoon Strips

When Gladys Parker was just a ‘teen-age Tonawanda high school girl a few years ago, she hurt her leg in an accident and had to spend several dull months in bed. She began to project the  fancies of her alert creative mind into little cartoons and drawings using her image in the looking glass as a model. 

During those months of bed-confinement were born the characters, “Mopsy” and “Flapper Fanny, which bring smiles and chuckles to thousands of readers six days a week in 75 newspapers throughout  the United States. Gladys, the daughter of Wilbur Parker of 15 Fremont street, Tonawanda, has been drawing “Flapper Fanny” for seven years, and “Mopsy” for eight. The two comic strip characters resemble Gladys herself right down to the rumpled hair and sprightly activity.

While she was ill and doing her first drawing, Gladys was mainly interested in pretty-young-things-in-fancy-dress, because she couldn’t be one herself. Once recovered, she perfected her drawing at the Triphagen [sic] School of Design in New York City and found innumerable humorous ascapades [sic] in her life to illustrate. When the cartoons began to find their way into publications, they were almost instantaneously popular with readers. Gladys sold her first carteen [sic] to the American Humor Magazine.

Two examples of the type of adventure Gladys’ comic characters experienced are shown here. They are two of a series of her drawings which are being reproduced in tomorrow’s issue of Look Magazine on page 16. The drawings will be seen from coast to coast. 

Although Gladys’ characters are constantly searching for ”the one and only man,” Gladys has found and married him in the person of Stookie Allen, a N. Y. Journal-American artist now overseas with the Armed Forces.

Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 20. (U.P.)—Cartoonist Gladys Parker plans to file suit today for divorce from Ben (Stookie) Allen, one-time University of Texas heavy-weight champion and ex-St. Louis Cardinals pitcher. 

Miss Parker, creator of the cartoon “Mopsy,” will charge mental cruelty, her attorneys said. The New York couple has no children, and she will ask no property settlement, they said. 

Allen also is a cartoonist and produces the “Keen Teens” feature.

In addition to drawing for the G.I.’s, Miss Parker still had to keep her daily and Sunday deadlines for the American newspapers publishing Mopsy. Her letters contained some mighty fascinating items, such as the constant demand for Mopsy drawings, how her 40-hour plane trip “had me walking on my knees,” the medal she received, the many photographs taken by candlelight and how she had to bathe out of tin cans and helmets. 

During her Korea sojourn, Gladys Parker lugged her drawing board and equipment to a different base or hospital each day, traveling with armed guards on account of guerrilla warfare.

She said, “It certainly was a thrill to know the G.I.’s recognized Mopsy, and they called me Mops.”

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