Arriola, Gus

Gus Arriola was born in Florence, Arizona, on July 23, 1917. In 1925 his family moved to Los Angeles, where he graduated from Manual Arts High School in 1935. After five years of working in animation studios Arriola submitted "Gordo," a cartoon about a Mexican bean farmer, to United Features Syndicate. In 1942 Arriola enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he was assigned to the First Motion Picture Unit in Hollywood for the duration of the war. He continued drawing and submitting "Gordo" Sunday strips while in the military, and in 1946 he resumed both daily and Sunday strips. His awards include the the National Cartoonists Society's Best Humor Strip in 1957 and 1965, the San Diego Comicon Inkpot in 1981, and the Schulz, "Sparky" in 1999. He continued producing "Gordo" until his retirement in 1985.