Ed Dodd
Encyclopedia
Edward Benton Dodd was a 20th century American
cartoonist
known for his Mark Trail
comic strip
.
, Georgia
to Reverend Jesse Mercer Dodd and Effie Cook Dodd (the artist Lamar Dodd
was his first cousin), Ed Dodd went to work for Dan Beard
, founder of the Boy Scouts of America
, at the age of 16. Dodd worked at Beard’s camp in Pennsylvania
for 13 summers, where he honed his writing and illustration skills under Beard’s guidance. Dodd became a scoutmaster and the first paid Youth and Physical Education Director for the city of Gainesville, Georgia
.
and at the Art Students League of New York
, he purchased a ranch in Wyoming
in 1926. In 1930, while working as a guide in the national parks, he created Back Home Again, a moderately successful daily single-panel which included characters from Gainesville and North Georgia. The panel, about a hillbilly
family, was distributed nationally by United Feature Syndicate until 1945.
distributed by The New York Post to 45 newspapers. Mark Trail centers on environmental
themes and its title character, a wildlife
photographer and author whose assignments inevitably lead to involvement in local environmental conflicts. Trail was a younger "alter ego" of Dodd (Gurr 2006), likewise a pipe-smoking outdoorsman and conservationist but footloose and free to travel to adventure. Trail owned a St. Bernard named Andy and lived (between travels) with Doc and Cherry Davis in Lost Forest. Likewise, Dodd had a St. Bernard named Andy, and owned a home and studio (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
) in a 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) forest in North Georgia that he named Lost Forest. Dodd's challenge with this alter ego was to write an educational outdoors-themed continuity strip, in varied settings, about a good-guy conservationist who nevertheless remained credible as a man in his responses to exploiters and to underdogs, and to romance and to hardship. At its peak in the 1960s, the strip enjoyed distribution to about 500 newspapers through North America Syndicate and spun off numerous publications about camping and wildlife.
Mark Trail was written by Dodd and drawn by Tom Hill until the latter's death in 1978. Dodd then retired, and the strip was continued by his long-time assistant, Jack Elrod. Today, Mark Trail is distributed to 175 newspapers through King Features Syndicate
.
Dodd enjoyed wide respect for his support of conservation, and among his honors was Georgia Conservationist of the Year in 1967. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Mark Trail in 1986, he told a reporter that he had quit Georgia Tech's architecture program because of failing grades in math and chemistry. "In my case, finishing college would have been a mistake," he said. "I'd probably have become a mediocre architect and starved to death." Towards the end of his life, he established the Mark Trail/Ed Dodd Foundation. He died in Gainesville in 1991, survived by his fourth wife, Rosemary who still resides in Gainesville. That same year, the U.S. Congress honored Dodd's hero with the Mark Trail Wilderness
in the Chattahoochee National Forest. In 1996, Lost Forest burned to the ground (Hill 2003).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
known for his Mark Trail
Mark Trail
Mark Trail is a newspaper comic strip created by the American cartoonist Ed Dodd. Introduced April 15, 1946, the strip centers on environmental and ecological themes. In 2006, King Features syndicated the strip to nearly 175 newspapers....
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
.
Early years
Born in LafayetteLaFayette, Georgia
LaFayette is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the city population was 6,702. The city is the county seat of Walker County.LaFayette is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
to Reverend Jesse Mercer Dodd and Effie Cook Dodd (the artist Lamar Dodd
Lamar Dodd
Lamar Dodd was a U.S. painter whose work reflected a love of the American South.- Early life and education :Born in Fairburn, Georgia to Rev...
was his first cousin), Ed Dodd went to work for Dan Beard
Daniel Carter Beard
Daniel Carter "Uncle Dan" Beard was an American illustrator, author, youth leader, and social reformer who founded the Sons of Daniel Boone in 1905, which Beard later merged with the Boy Scouts of America .-Early life:...
, founder of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, at the age of 16. Dodd worked at Beard’s camp in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
for 13 summers, where he honed his writing and illustration skills under Beard’s guidance. Dodd became a scoutmaster and the first paid Youth and Physical Education Director for the city of Gainesville, Georgia
Gainesville, Georgia
-Severe Weather:Gainesville sits on the very fringe of Tornado Alley, a region of the United States where severe weather is common. Supercell thunderstorms can sweep through any time between March and November, but are concentrated most in the spring...
.
Back Home Again
After studying architecture at Georgia TechGeorgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
and at the Art Students League of New York
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
, he purchased a ranch in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
in 1926. In 1930, while working as a guide in the national parks, he created Back Home Again, a moderately successful daily single-panel which included characters from Gainesville and North Georgia. The panel, about a hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
family, was distributed nationally by United Feature Syndicate until 1945.
Mark Trail
On April 15, 1946, he launched Mark Trail as a daily comic stripDaily strip
A daily strip is a newspaper comic strip format, appearing on weekdays, Monday through Saturday, as contrasted with a Sunday strip, which typically only appears on Sundays....
distributed by The New York Post to 45 newspapers. Mark Trail centers on environmental
Environmental movement
The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
themes and its title character, a wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
photographer and author whose assignments inevitably lead to involvement in local environmental conflicts. Trail was a younger "alter ego" of Dodd (Gurr 2006), likewise a pipe-smoking outdoorsman and conservationist but footloose and free to travel to adventure. Trail owned a St. Bernard named Andy and lived (between travels) with Doc and Cherry Davis in Lost Forest. Likewise, Dodd had a St. Bernard named Andy, and owned a home and studio (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
) in a 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) forest in North Georgia that he named Lost Forest. Dodd's challenge with this alter ego was to write an educational outdoors-themed continuity strip, in varied settings, about a good-guy conservationist who nevertheless remained credible as a man in his responses to exploiters and to underdogs, and to romance and to hardship. At its peak in the 1960s, the strip enjoyed distribution to about 500 newspapers through North America Syndicate and spun off numerous publications about camping and wildlife.
Mark Trail was written by Dodd and drawn by Tom Hill until the latter's death in 1978. Dodd then retired, and the strip was continued by his long-time assistant, Jack Elrod. Today, Mark Trail is distributed to 175 newspapers through King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers worldwide...
.
Dodd enjoyed wide respect for his support of conservation, and among his honors was Georgia Conservationist of the Year in 1967. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Mark Trail in 1986, he told a reporter that he had quit Georgia Tech's architecture program because of failing grades in math and chemistry. "In my case, finishing college would have been a mistake," he said. "I'd probably have become a mediocre architect and starved to death." Towards the end of his life, he established the Mark Trail/Ed Dodd Foundation. He died in Gainesville in 1991, survived by his fourth wife, Rosemary who still resides in Gainesville. That same year, the U.S. Congress honored Dodd's hero with the Mark Trail Wilderness
Mark Trail Wilderness
The Mark Trail Wilderness was designated in 1991 and currently consists of . It is named in honor of Mark Trail, a daily newspaper comic strip created by the American cartoonist Ed Dodd. The Wilderness is located within the borders of the Chattahoochee National Forest in White, Towns, and Union...
in the Chattahoochee National Forest. In 1996, Lost Forest burned to the ground (Hill 2003).
Sources
- Georgia Tech Alumni. Deaths: Ed Dodd.
- Gurr, Steve. 2006. New Georgia Encyclopedia: Ed Dodd
- Hill, Jack. 2003. "Memories of Lost Forest", talk before the Pleasant Oaks Gem and Mineral Society, June 5, 2003.
- Wilderness.net. Mark Trail Wilderness