Mort Walker was born in 1923 in El Dorado, Kansas. He published his first comic when he was 11 and sold his first cartoon at 12. By 14, he was selling gag cartoons regularly to Child Life, Inside Detective and Flying Aces magazines. At 15, he was a comic-strip artist for a daily metropolitan newspaper and at 18, he became chief editorial designer at Hall Bros. The following year, in 1943, Walker was drafted into the Army. He was discharged as a first lieutenant four years later, and graduated from the University of Missouri in 1948, where he was editor of the school magazine. He then went to New York City. In order to survive he worked as editor of three magazines for Dell Publishing… Company. His first 200 cartoons were rejected, but editors started to recognize his talent and in two years he was the top-selling magazine cartoonist. His first big break came in 1950, when King Features picked up Beetle Bailey for syndication. Walker's comic strip Hi and Lois, which he created with Dik Browne, began in 1954 as a spin-off of Beetle Bailey. He also created "Boner's Ark" in 1968 under the name "Addison," and created "Sam & Silo" with Jerry Dumas in 1977. In 1974, he founded the Museum of Cartoon Art, the first museum dedicated to the preservation and elevation of the art of comics. The museum now houses the largest complete collection of its kind, making it the premier showcase for comics. Walker was inducted into the Museum of Carton Art Hall of Fame in 1989. Walker has written several books on the art and history of comics, as well as children's books. He has published numerous collections of his comics work, including 92 Beetle Bailey and 35 Hi and Lois paperbacks. In May 2000, Walker was honored by the United States Army at the Pentagon with The Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service, the highest award the Secretary of the Army can bestow on a civilian. He was also lauded at the Pentagon ceremony by the Association of the United States Army, the National World War II Memorial Campaign and the Non Commissioned Officers Association for his efforts to help build awareness and raise funds for the National World War II Memorial. Walker has received many awards, including the 1953 Cartoonist of the Year from the National Cartoonists Society, the 1966 Best Humor Strip from the National Cartoonists Society, the 1969 Best Humor Strip from the National Cartoonists Society, the 1972 Il Secolo XIX Award, Italy, the 1975 Adamson Award forBest International Cartoonist, from Sweden, the 1977 Power of Printing Award and the Elzie Segar Award, Lifetime Achievement.