John Earl Whitaker was born on August 20, 1928, in Amory, Mississippi. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Mississippi State University, attended art school in Nashville, and completed a correspondence course for the Famous Artists School of Westport, Connecticut. Following a year of active duty in Japan as a member of the Far East Air Material Command, Whitaker resumed his career as a sales representative for Delta Airlines. At night, he illustrated "Sam's Supermarket," based on an idea accredited to newspaper columnist Lydel Sims, who penned the gags. In 1955, "Sam's Supermarket" won fifth place in a Scripps-Howard Cartoon Contest and was awarded a contract with United Features Syndicate of New York. The one-panel cartoon ran in thirty-five newspapers throughout 1956-1958. Whitaker appeared in a 1958 promotional film for the Famous Artists School, and later became a Charter Life Underwriter, as well as a member of both the Million Dollar Roundtable and Equitable's Hall of Fame.
From the guide to the John Whitaker Collection, 1955-2012, 1955-1965, (The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum)
