I was born in San Marcos at my grandmother’s house in 1933, but I grew up in San Antonio. I did most of the kid stuff you do when you grow up in Texas, like play sandlot baseball. I read all the comics — Li’l Abner, Captain Marvel, and all those wonderful things. Even back then I knew that I wanted to be a cartoonist. In school I was always, always, always in trouble for doodling, but my mother and dad were very supportive. I must have been thirteen or fourteen when Mother sent me to downtown San Antonio to La Villita to an art class. I drew from a nude. At that age it was quite a shock, like “Holy smoke, that woman’s got her clothes off!” It scared me to death, but I was a big hero in school for a few days.
