THEODOR SEUSS GEISEL

BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES, 1925—NUMBER 2

Born in Springfield, Mass., March 2, 1904. Attended Central High School. Graduated from Dartmouth. Married Helen Palmer in Westfield, N. J., November 20, 1927. We had intended to keep these biographies quite serious in nature, but Dr. Seuss is not a very serious young man, and his life has been delightfully described in lighter vein by Paul Jerman. It follows:

The Geisel that dreamed in the summer of 1925, foresaw a Geisel turning out pedagogic essays and spending his days peacefully in the depths of continental libraries. Followed a year of study at Lincoln College, \Oxford. Then the University of Vienna for Ph.D. work. In one week Ted decided Jonathan Swift, the subject of his thesis, could be considered best at the Sorbonne. Therefore to Paris—where it was pointed out that the world needed a pedagogic study of young Jonathan between the ages of 171/2 and 18, and that this would entail a trip to Ireland and two years of research, indexing, and writing. Ted stayed at the Sorbonne one hour! An hour later he booked passage on a cattle boat to make a serious study of donkeys. A few months later a trip to Italy to write the Great American Novel. Ted wrote it, and it proved not exactly a total loss, for four years later Ted was able to boil it down to a three-line gag for Judge!! In 1927 back to the States and pointing for a professorship in English literature. Ted started to draw to earn a few pennies. His humorous drawings took immediately, teaching was forgotten, and Ted married Helen Palmer, whom he had met at Oxford. Then came the drawings for Flit—product and artist became well-known almost overnight. Next the Motor Monster Series—also for Standard Oil. Then the GPOGA (Geisel Period of Great Activity). Here the thread of Dr. Seuss' work in cartoons, articles, quips, and gags runs through Judge,Life, Liberty, College Humor, etc. Another thread, a series of murals in private homes and the New York Dartmouth Club. A third thread, the illustration of books—("Boners" reached 200,000 copies). At the end of several big advertising campaigns, Ted left Standard Oil to free-lance, but after a few months was back in their fold. At present, animated cartoons and a show for their Marine Oils Division are the objects de labor. Another iron in the fire is what the doctor himself calls "the Seuss System of Unorthodox Taxidermy." Not satisfied with drawing strange beasties, Ted modeled the heads of some of his animals and mounted them. Put on display in various bookshops around New York to promote his book "And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," many people wanted to buy the weird animal heads. They will soon be on the market for playroom, bar, etc. Children's toys are also planned, and Ted's second book"The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins," will soon be published by Vanguard Press. A sheaf of poems, musical comedy scripts, articles, etc., give evidence to the fact that Ted, one of these days, will characteristically break into a new field. His ambition is to write, and his next venture might well be in movie scenarios. So goes the story thus far—but we can't leave Dr. Seuss without speaking of his travels. He and his wife have traveled extensively in over thirty countries of Europe, the Near East, and South America. Space prevents a detailed account, but here are a few highlights etched in short phrases: Favorite hobby—mummy-digging in South America (while doing pre-Inca digging in Peru caught in a revolutionattempt escape, return to center of fighting for safety-revolutionists being poor shots when aiming directly at one!) Spoke to a reporter in Peru of a Seussian air-chamber, invented to acclimate people to the 40,000-foot altitude of Peru. Became center of a scientific foray with technical discussions, imaginary diagrams, pipes, valves, and gadgets!! A trip to Dalmatia to study Dalmation dogs—discovered they were all in England. On this trip became inspired with idea of collecting hats. There are two famous "incidents" in Turkey and Mexicobut these will be told in their entirety in some later discussion of Ted. In bringing to a close this brief biography we strenuously urge that all good Quarters do their best to dispel the ugly and unfounded rumor that Dr. Seuss is an armless man who draws with his toes!

P. S. Ted has promised, at some near date, to draw a permanent heading for the -Class Notes Section. Thanks in advance from all of us.