Smokey Bear

The USDA Forest Service is celebrating this year as the 75th Birthday of Smokey Bear. Elaine worked for the Forest Service in the Washington, D.C. Office during much of the 1960's & '70's with some of the people that had a lot to do with Smokey. Mr. Allen worked across the hall from  her and was one of the foresters that rescued the cub Bear from a fire and had him put in the Washington Zoo. Rudy Wendlin was the cartoonist who did the art work in making Smokey famous. Comic Books and many other media were developed that told the story of Smokey  as an icon to educate people that "only you can prevent forest fires". Our son Jon delighted in escorting family visitors to the Zoo and telling them the "story". The original Smokey lived in the Zoo to a ripe old "Bear age " and was eventually replaced with a Junior. While in graduate school at George Washington University, I wrote a paper on the impact that Smokey had made in educating young people. Mr. Wendlin drew a picture of him for my cover page. The instructor gave me a "B" for my paper but an "A+" to Mr. Wendlin.