?Even in tough times, everyone is waiting to be amused, to laugh, to smile!?
Those were the words of Syd Hoff -- one of the 20th Century?s most endearing children?s authors, illustrators and gag cartoonists -- whose humor and talent touched the lives of generation after generation during our nation?s darkest days AND finest hours.
Whether you?re 5 or 95, the chances are you?ve probably come in contact with one of Syd?s nearly 200 books, including Danny and the Dinosaur and Sammy the Seal, and his syndicated cartoon Laugh it Off which appeared in more than 200 magazines. His comic strip Tuffy, about a little girl who did funny things, was declared essential for national morale during WWII by William Randolph Hearst.
Regarded as one of the world?s foremost and most prolific cartoonists, Syd contributed 571 cartoons to The New Yorker between 1931 and 1975. He always said that the best humor comes from the familiar. Drawing on his own experiences, the immigrant Jewish population and the Depression became the arena of focus in which he managed to bring lightness and humor.
Trained as a serious painter, yet inspired by the quirkiness of real life, his cartoons never stepped over the boundaries of decency and good taste as he celebrated the individual, triumphing over struggles of everyday life. According to Syd, ?A good cartoon has got to remind people of something they?re faced with. They won?t laugh unless it?s something they?ve seen or experienced.?
Syd has worked in diverse genres. He had the distinct honor of working with Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen as a contributor of short fiction writing. He was awarded national advertising commissions for large companies such as Chevrolet, Maxwell House Coffee and others. He had his own TV show (Tales of Hoff on CBS), traveled the world as entertainment on cruise ships, and entertained children and teachers in schools and libraries across the country.
While Syd may be regarded as one of the great humorists of the 20th Century, in the eyes of children he will always be celebrated and remembered as the author of Danny and the Dinosaur, Sammy the Seal and many more. Imagination, humor and simplicity are hallmarks of Syd?s work. ?I like to make kids laugh. A lot of people think it?s easy to write for children, but children are critical and have their own requirements. They know immediately whether a book is ?real? or not. It can be fantasy, but it must be believable,? Syd said in a 1982 newspaper article. He has also written books with historical themes, as in Boss Tweed and the Man Who Drew Him (about Thomas Nast, political cartoonist) and The Man Who Loved Animals (about Henry Bergh, founder of SPCA).
Speaking of Family -- What Hidden Treasures Might You Discover in Your Own Family History?
Have you ever wondered what Aunt Bea did besides bake apple pies? Or what life was like when Uncle Max was a little boy? Today, family picnics and holiday gatherings are becoming less frequent as our lives are becoming more hectic. As a result, we?re losing our connections with family -- to our roots and lineage -- and missing hidden treasures, inspiring stories and connections related to the loved ones who helped pave the road for us.
Don?t wait! Strengthen your family connections NOW!
5 Easy Steps for ?Mining the Gems? in Your Family Tree:
1. Decide who to interview. Write some key questions and listen to ?stories? from their early years? what was going on in the world at that time? what touched their hearts? what were their favorite books? ? what were their favorite family gatherings? Let one story guide you into the next as they share insights, memories and wisdom gained along the way.
2. Invite other family members to share what they know about that person. Let this become a family project.
3. Record your family interviews on video or audio tape, or keep notes in a special notebook, which can be divided into sections representing different phases or decades. With Syd, I kept everything in a notebook which eventually became www.SydHoff.org
4. Gather as many family photos as possible and look for related articles on the Internet about historical events related to a particular time/generation. You can also explore genealogy Websites to help fill in the blanks about your family.
5. Create a finished product: a video or DVD, a Website, scrapbook, or a self-published book that chronicles your family?s journey. Make this a gift to yourself and to others in your family. Let this become a treasured gift that passes from one generation to the next.
My Own ?Modern Day Nancy Drew? Detective Experiences
Passionate about preserving the rich legacy of my own uncle, Syd Hoff, I had a mission to unearth the buried treasures about ?the man behind the dinosaur?, especially this year, as Danny and the Dinosaur celebrates its 50th anniversary (with more than 10 million copies since its release in 1958).
I created a website dedicated to Syd Hoff and in my research discovered that Syd and I shared common views about social issues, separated only by the different times in which we lived. In his early years many of Syd?s adult cartoons dealt with issues challenging the status quo -- dealing with class, race and gender issues. While Syd was able to impact the world using pen and paper, I became a voice for various causes as a social activist. Unfortunately, Syd passed away before we could share and compare our stories. Here are more of my discoveries about Uncle Syd Hoff, 1912-2004:
1. He drew propaganda cartoons for the Office of War Information during WWII, which were dropped behind enemy lines in the China-Burma-India Theater.
2. He helped raise money for the Spanish Civil War by posing with other New York City artists for photographers.
3. He was involved in a protest to ban the Atomic Bomb.
4. In 1938, Syd painted a mural for a very famous NYC nightclub - Caf? Society, where Billie Holiday made famous the song Strange Fruit.
5. He was a master at exploring Depression-era humor, including New York tenement life. He turned the hard times into a funny idea and gave people hope. He showed the lighter side of poverty, while never ignoring the desperation felt during the Depression ? especially as seen through the eyes of the children.
Final thoughts from Carol Edmonston
When Syd Hoff passed away in 2004, we lost a treasured icon -? one of the great humorists of the 20th Century. Through my research, I have come to appreciate that the more we deeply know our family members, the more deeply we?ll know ourselves. Now, instead of wondering where some of my personality traits and values have come from, I look no further than my beloved uncle -? Syd Hoff.
Do the same in YOUR OWN FAMILY. Don?t wait! Strengthen your family connections NOW.
Contact Carol Edmonston: http://www.SydHoff.org ~ (714-870-5695) ~ info@SydHoff.org
Pooches Get Pampered at Las Vegas PETCOs: Bark Up Family Tree with Dog DNA Test
April 5 is Pamper Your Pet Day at Las Vegas PETCO stores. All local pooches and their human parents are invited to a day of doggie grooming and spa treatments, nutrition and training tips, and a chance to win cool raffle prizes for pets and people.
Fetterman Genealogy
Marriage Records: The best way to find court records when you don't have a lot of information to go on is to work with a professional service. Court marriage records pertain to all the files and documentation kept by a court before, during and after legal proceedings. It is usually the task of the court reporter to keep a faithful marriage record of what transpires during a session in court and it is from this transcript that court marriage records come about. Along with the transcript, other documentation is also included in court documents such as legal forms, evidence, and other related files.. As obvious as this may sound there are still many people who do not fully understand what the term public record entails.
The Family Tree
There are numerous genealogy sites out there that feature an assortment of articles on documentation of records for doing your genealogy search. We will look at how genealogy sites and the tools they offer will assist you to carry on a search.
MLM Genealogy Leads
As with any other start up, a new multi-level marketing (MLM) venture owner will look to friends, family, and acquaintances for support. The MLM business owner must sell the parent company's products or services and contact individuals that might be interested in becoming an independent distributor in his or her network.
GenSmarts Genealogy Research Software Version 2 Released
Four years ago, a new type of genealogy software debuted - one which uses artificial intelligence to make research suggestions. GenSmarts works alongside existing genealogy software to explain records that should be researched and why. Today's GenSmarts Version 2 release represents a new level of usability and power for genealogy hobbyists seeking research assistance.
Genealogy and Family Networking Site Geni.com Launches Video Sharing and an Abundance of New Features
Free and private genealogy family networking site Geni.com emerges from Beta adding unlimited video uploads and family tree merging to it's list of family focused features.
Searching Family Genealogy
Once I started digging into my family's history I was hooked. I started my search by talking to family members and was able to get a lot of information from them. My various family members had lots of important information they shared with me. I got lots of dates of birth, dates of death and marriage records. I was able to get copies of some old newspaper articles about my great-grandfather who was a prominent citizen in Michigan, but I wanted to know more. I took my search online.
Genealogy - Trace Your Family's History
Did you ever consider that your great-great-grandfather may have fought in the civil war? Perhaps your great-great-great grandfather made his way here from the "old country" on a great old sailing ship with just a few pence in his pocket. What of your grandmother? Perhaps she was the local librarian in her town. Once they start a genealogy search most people find tracing their family history fascinating. What may start with the simple desire to know a few names and dates turns into nothing short of a fascinating archaeological "dig" of sorts.
Looking For Relatives Research Your Genealogy
Family Tree provides detailed information on the families past history. To organize your research you need to create a worksheet of your family tree. There are many tools to use to help start the process of your family tree, they are not expensive and widely available, and they are great tools for organizing. Studying genealogy will give you the knowledge you will need to understand your ancestry, and it will help in creating the family tree. The family tree is a graphical representation of how the family fits and is related to each other. To make it easier it is a good idea to separate the generations, this will make it easier for tracing the family roots. By seeing the generations it is a good rule of thumb of you your family tree will...
Barack Obama is Related to Brad Pitt? Mensa Genealogy Colloquium Helps Uncover Your Unknown Relatives
Hosted by the Mensa Education & Research Foundation, members of Mensa and non-members alike will gather at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center to learn various ways to define their family research goals, organize their research and share tricks and tactics to finding information about long-lost relatives and distant cousins.
The Genealogy of Virus
Nowadays, there are many definitions for viruses, and a virus cant be called a virus anymore. Ever heard of worms? Trojans? Adware? Spyware? Malware? What are those things? Are they viruses Read on to find the answer.
Trace Your Roots Through A Family Tree
What is a Family Tree? A family tree is like a pedigree for human beings. It is used to record the individual's ancestors over a number of generations. Family trees can be very simple, recording only immediate ancestors. They may also be very elaborate, recording siblings and intermarriages, resulting in a far more detailed version of the individual's history. An individual might choose to pursue his or her own edification, or it may be pursued to answer medical questions or other questions the individual may have pertaining to his or her family history. A family tree is also known as a "genealogical tree."
Genealogy in Switzerland - A Longenecker Family Search
I recently visited Langnau, Bern, Switzerland and spent two days immersed in all things Langenegger. My wife and I arrived at the Langnau rail station on June 25, 2004, exhausted from a long flight from San Francisco.
PersonalButPolite.com - Filling in the Family Tree Blanks
Using personal announcement columns from old newspapers for genealogy research helps provide clues that may otherwise not exist.
Where Did I Come From? TribalPages Genealogy Maps Have the Answer
New Genealogy Maps from TribalPages.com. Plot your family history using the industry-leading Google Maps.