Remembering Jerry Bittle
on January 9, 2011
Back in my college days, I had the great fortune to have taken a cartooning class taught by the great Jerry Bittle, creator of the comic strips, Geech and Shirley and Son. 
Jerry had a spontaneous approach to teaching, a dry wit, and he was quick with the quips.
I remember visiting his home studio and being amazed to be standing in the workplace of a real, working comic strip artist. I always had an appreciation for strip artists, never imagining that I would head that way myself. Re-reading Jerry’s Geech strips is like spending a little time with Jerry himself and I have even more appreciation for his talent now than I did when I was his student.
I was a friend of Jerry as well. He let me visit 5 or 6 times at his studio and talk cartooning. I regret we never went bowling together. He was a great guy and I really miss him.
Yeah, Jerry was real gratious. I remember his huge desk, and those shelves stuffed with books up to the ceiling. And it seemed like his studio was right in the center of his house, and I guess, it really was the center of his house. He had a great sense of humor, in such a low-key way. It all came pouring out in his work, didn’t it?