Winner of a 1925 high school poster contest for his entry “Sobriety first, safety follows,” 16-year-old Basil Wolverton’s effort was declared a real work of art by all. Throughout his Vancouver High School years, Wolverton filled his spare time with activities such as working as a stagehand for school plays, contributing to the yearbook, and supporting school teams by helping establish a sports auxiliary. In 1934, he married his high school sweetheart, Honor Lovette, producing a son, Monte, who is a novelist and political cartoonist rendered in his father’s unique style. (Monte Wolverton’s cartoons appear periodically on The Columbian’s editorial page.)

Before graduating in 1927, Wolverton sold his first story to American Humor and began pitching comic strips to newspapers. Perhaps this c

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