BATTALION
Wednesday, May 2, 19G2
College Station, Texas
Page 5
louch’ Originator Jim Earle Recalls Start Of Cartoon
(Editor's Note: Wednesday is
^^^■arle’s brithday and The liat-
■ is pleased to run the follow-
’^■rticle, written last fall, on
B of A&M’s favorite professors.)
By ALAN PAYNE
Battalion Editor
Over eight years ago a small,
jiasauming cartoon character first
f^Bred on the A&M campus in
re-bonfire publicity.
Today this character, Cadet
lurm, is deeply embedded in the
of present and past stu-
>ntsL And Slouch’s creator James
H. (Jim) Earle, ’54, is one of the
most widely known and enjoyed
professors at the college.
For Earle, a slender, balding man
of 29, Slouch’s road to recognition
has not always been easy. But per
sistence, natural talent and his
architectural training have par
layed the cartoon character into
success.
Earle figures he has done around
2,000 Slouch cartoons since that
uneventful beginning in 1953.
Sketches ai’e printed in every edi
tion’ of The Battalion, plus regu
larly in football programs, Aggie
Talent Show progi’ams, athletic
Department brochures, Former
Students Association stationary,
television guides for Aggie var
sity athletics and local store ads.
In addition he drew a daily “Bee
tle Bailey type” comic strip while
in the Air Force in 1955 and 1958.
Four books have been printed of
his cartoons. They were publish
ed in 1954,1955,1956 and 1961.
^1-
“I had drawn some unrelated
cartoons before, but never had any
printed before the bonfire publi
city in 1953,” Earle explains. “I
was just a senior then and most
of my previous work had just
been funny pictures.”
After the first printing of
Slouch, the character immediately
became a regular feature of The
Battalion. Other jobs were slow
er in developing, but during the
1954-55 school year, while in his
fifth year as an architecture stu
dent, Earle was drawing two ad-
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FOR SALE
iw 185.t
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llay 14, 1962. The right is reserved
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Bf-ition. 108t3
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ister Xrue.k-Tractor, with trailer, fuel
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right is reserved to reject any and
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Address Business Manager, A. and M.
fe of Texas. College Station, Texas.
108t2
irborn air cooler, model DEB 45C,
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108t4
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108t4
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All Seniors that ordered their graduation
invitations for the May graduation may
pick up their order at Memorial Student
Center Craft Room, Lower Level, across
from the Barber Shop beginning Tuesday,
May 1, through Monday, May 7, 1962.
Also all seniors that failed to place
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Cashier I08t5
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Exercise
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degree of Doctor of Philosophy are re
quired to order hoods as well as the doctor’s
cap and gown. The hoods are to be left
at the Registrar’s Office no later than
1:00 p. m., Tuesday, May 22 (this will be
accomplished by a representative of the
College Exchange Store). The Ph.D.
hoods will not be worn in the procession
since all such candidates will be hooded
on the stage as a part of the ceremonies.
Candidates for the degree of Doctor of
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cap. gown and hood appropriate to this
degree.
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wear the Master’s cap and gown. All
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Bachelor’s Degree will wear the bachelor’s
cap and gown. ROTC students who are
candidates for the Bachelor’s Degree will
wear the Class “A” cadet uniform in lieu
of academic regalia. Senior boots are
optional with the uniform.
Rental of caps and gowns may he
arranged with the Exchange Store. Orders
may be placed between 8 :00 a. m. Tuesday,
May 1 and 12:00 noon Saturday, May 19.
The rental is as follows: Doctor’s cap
and gown $5.25, Master’s cap and gown
$4.75, Bachelor’s cap and gown $4.25. Hood
rental is the same as that for cap and
gown. A 2% Texas State Sales Tax is
required in addition to these rentals.
C. E. Tishler, Chairman
Convocations Committee 108tl6
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change Store.
After graduation came duty with
the Air Force, mostly at Dyess Air
Force Base in Abilene. During his
first year there, Earle was mail
ing Slouch back to The Battalion
for publication.
Initial drawings depicted Slouch
with big ears, a thin neck and
monotone facial lines. Since then
Earle made the ears smaller and
switched from a speed-ball pen to a
brush to give variety to Slouch’s
facial lines.
“H don’t really know' how I
came up with the particular char-
actet for Slouch,” the creator ad
mits. “I just tried different char
acters until I found one that was
easily recognizable from any ang
le. And, of course, I was try
ing to depict the average Aggie
as he might look ‘cartoon-style’.”
As for clartoon ideas, Earle pre
fers controversial situations in
which most students have formed
opinions.
“In such a case I can take either
side, make everything seem a
joke and ‘relieve’ the situation,”
Earle said. “I think these are
probably the best liked by the
readers, too. You can make things
look just as ridiculous as you wish,
and everyone will just laugh and
think it’s a joke.
“And, surprisingly to me, I have
received hardly any criticism for
such cartoons,” he added. “Peo
ple even call and say, ‘Hey, you
left us out over here’.
“People usually like to associate
themselves with the cartoon char
acters,” Earle added, “and I try to
accomodate them. Many also enjoy
making the professor the villian —
even the professors, they really get
a kick out of those.”
Other general themes for Slouch
cartoons are exaggerations, misin
terpreted terms and advertising
of coming events.
“I guess the biggest problem
is thinking up ideas for the car
toons,” Earle admitted. “There’s
certainly no formula — I try to re
member things I have heard or
seen, or just think up something
imaginary.”
Earle estimated that he spends
an average of 15 minutes per car
toon thinking up ideas. The act
ual drawing takes another 20-30
minutes. Daily cartoons appearing
in The Battalion are all done the
afternoon before publication —
some hectically, others leisurely.
“I guess the strangest thing of
all,” Earle added, “is that> after
finishing every cartoon, I feel I
just can’t do another one. If I’m
doing a series of five, I just could
n’t possibly do six. And if I’m
doing only one, two would be out
of the question.”
Even though well established as
an educator, Earle admits he
wouldn’t scoff at professional car
tooning offers, especially from a
syndicate.
“Cartooning is like show busi
ness,” he said, “you don’t really
know what it takes to be a suc
cess. I’m real fortunate at A&M in
having an outlet for my work, I
just hope people don’t ‘type’ me
and feel I can do only Slouch car
toons.”
Just hand Earle a pencil and
piece of paper, however, and he
will readily prove he isn’t ‘typed.’
He can draw one of the best re
semblances of Mickey Mouse possi
ble.
“Don’t ..get ..the ..w r rong ..idea,”
Earle cautions, “I’m real happy
teaching. But a real j^eod offer
from a syndicate is just something
you don’t turn down every day.”
Aggies probably hope Earle
stays around A&M for quite a
while longer. Cadet Slouch and his
cartoon friends would be hard to
replace.
F&AUICL'l IT QoSSkI'T MATTfE TO
I JUST UKt CZVSsApF*, ." 1
Jim Earle likes to draw his comic characters around current
situations, such as the above chuckle which appeared in
The Battalion in conjunction with the heated discussion
concerning whether to keep the shrubs in their places on
campus or take them away.
Engineering Honor Society 1
Holds Anneal Spring Banquet
The annual spring banquet of
Tau Beta Pi, the national engi
neering honor society, was held
last Friday in the banquet room of
the Triangle Restaurant.
Dr. D. A. Dahlstrom, national
president of the Tau Beta Pi As
sociation, was the guest speaker.
Also present was Robert .IT. NagU
national secretary-treasurer of the
association.
Attending the banquet were 26
new members who had just been
initiated into the society Friday
afternoon. The new members
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