Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Gene Fawcette
Richard Eugene “Gene” Fawcette was born on January 15, 1920, in Quincy, Illinois. Fawcette’s full name and birth information were on his Social Security application which was transcribed at Ancestry.com. His parents were Tenellas D. Fawcette and Delores V. Brown.
The 1920 U.S. Federal Census was enumerated January 7 so Fawcette, who was born eight days later, was not counted. His parents and sister, Vanessa, resided in Quincy at 1236 Spring. Fawcette’s father was a dentist. On May 22, 1929, Fawcette’s father died in Manchester, Illinois, according to the Illinois death index.
In the 1930 census, Fawcette and his unemployed mother were Quincy residents. Fawcette has not yet been found in the 1940 census.
Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999 said Fawcette worked for Will Eisner and Jerry Iger around 1939. Fawcette worked in the comic book industry through the 1950s and returned in the mid-1970s into the early 1980s. Many of his comic book credits are here.
During World War II, Fawcette’s enlistment record said he was a commercial artist, married and living in Nassau County, New York. He enlisted on February 9, 1943 in New York City. He attended one year of college which may have been an art school. Fawcette was five feet nine inches and 140 pounds. Fawcette’s Beneficiary Identification Records Locater Subsystem death file said he was discharged January 26, 1946.
At some point Fawcetter moved to New Rochelle, New York. The 1947 city directory listed the illustrator and his wife at 5 Circuit Road, apartment A52. Later, Fawcette moved to Westport, Connecticut. A 1962 directory said his address was 40 Park Lane. He had the same address in 1972.
American Newspaper Comics (2012), said Fawcette was one of four artists to draw Our New Age, which debuted September 21, 1958. The series began with Carl Rose (as Earl Cros) who was followed by E.C. Felton. Fawcette’s run started with the Sundays in mid-1961 to October 26, 1975, and the dailies from December 31, 1962 to the 1970s. Ray Evans Jr. produced the dailies during 1962. Dr. Athelstan Spilhaus wrote the series for Publishers-Hall Syndicate.
Other work by Fawcette include a Dennis the Menace cut-out coloring book and graphics for Kentucky Educational Television.
Fawcette passed away April 10, 1988, in Volusia, Florida according to the Florida death index. He was laid to rest at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens.
Further Reading and Viewing
Sunday Funnies Blast Off Into the Space Age
Original art here and here
—Alex Jay
Labels: Ink-Slinger Profiles
Comments:
Fawcette also did all the later issues of Supermouse, taking over from Milt Stein. So I am not surprised at the Denis the Menace connection.
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