- William Clausen Bio
 "Richard Kyle snapped this pic in 1987 at his Wonderworld Bookstore in Long Beach, CA. Alan White was a frequent shopper there when he was a teen! THE ALAN WHITE IS OUR WEBMASTER AND GRAPHICS ARTIST AND MORE- I first met Shel at an early Comicon when I was a kid.(Jim Valentino was actually the first person I met there,we were young artists with portfolios under our arms). Shel magically turned my one day pass into a full membership. He convinced me to join the Comicon committee. I brought him home to see my father’s paintings, which he photographed. Soon I was going to visit Kirby, Hogarth, and everyone else in a car full of my peers. (Brent Anderson, Whilce Portacio, Clayton Moore, Greg Evans, etc.). When Shel’s relationship with the Con Deteriorated, I decided to move on as well. (I didn’t involve myself in the feud because I still have many friends associated with the convention). In 1986, Shel suggested that I speak to Steve Schanes about creating a book for Blackthorne Publishing. I got together with Mike Kelley from my high school art class and created a Science Fiction story entitled Lord of the Waterworld. Steve convinced us to create a funny animals book instead (The Chameleon Commandos) then gave us two weeks til presstime. I would go on to do a slew of commercial projects.
- When Trimark Pictures offered me the Leprechaun comic book in 1990, I hired Shel to do the lettering (Like he had hired me to help him on the Steve Canyon strip). Shel lettered several other stories for me which are about to be released.
- Through the years we socialized a great deal, and when Shel landed in the hospital I would bring groups of his friends there to hang out with him. On the final visit, we (Greg Koudoulian, Richard Alf, George Clayton Johnson, Clayton Moore, Mike Towry and myself) started the Shel Dorf Fan Club and presented Shel with his badge.
- Shel had a few shortcomings (as do we all), but his heart was in the right place. He would go out on a limb to help new talent (which sometimes put a strain on his professional relationships (as I know well). The idea of the Shel Dorf Fan Club is to continue his legacy of good deeds, to honor him as he honored his friends, and ultimately to keep his memory alive.
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- Dave Davis Comic Con Bio
 In 1977 I attended my first San Diego Comic Con at the El Cortez Hotel as a Volunteer for Security under Gene Henderson. I had a great time helping out and meeting all kinds of great people. After the Con was over I was invited to attend a meeting of the Members of the Board of Directors where I first met Shel Dorf. When I was introduced, Shel complimented me on my help structuring the security system so everyone could have a chance to attend the panels and see the programs they wanted. He invited me to join this small group of Fans to help out planning the next convention.- Fast forward to 1979 and the Con at the old Downtown Convention Center. I was still helping out with Security and where ever else I was needed. I was helping set up for the Celebrity Art Auction when we were informed that our Celebrity Auctioneer wasn’t there. I asked what we should do and who can replace him. Someone pointed at me and said, “You do it”!
- I said, “Huh? Who me? What am I supposed to do?” I spotted Shel and told him the dilemma and asked him what to do.
- He said, “You need to go ask the artists to come up and draw something for the fans.”
- I was full of bluster and bravado when it came to the fans, but the artists kind of intimidated me a little since I had been reading comics since I was six years old and they were like Gods to me. Shel put his hand on my shoulder and said to me, “Just talk to them and never be afraid to ask them anything.”
- After that day I ceased being a giggling Fan Boy and started making friends with the people I had admired and respected for so long. By talking to them I learned a lot about how they did things and got to hear some great stories from people like Jack Kirby, Rick Hoberg, John Romita, (Jr and Sr), Scott Shaw! and a hundred or more others.
- In 1980 I asked Shel if he would be my best man at my wedding to my wife Kathy and was so proud and pleased when he said yes. On August 2nd, 1980 Kathy and I were married in the U.S. Grant Hotel during the 1980 Con. On that day Shel became more than a friend, he became a brother. Even after I had moved on from the Convention I always remembered Shel fondly. I really miss him
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- .Meeting Milton Caniff and Dick Moores by Cartoonist Dave Thorne of Hawaii
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- I attended my first San Diego comic convention in 1976 or '77 and it changed my life. Among the many great people I met there was Shel Dorf, who did the lettering for the Steve Canyon comic strip by Milton Caniff.
- A couple of years later, Shel wrote me and asked if I wanted to go with him and Bob Kane (creator of Batman) to meet his boss Milton Caniff, when I came over for the comic convention that year. I got a 24" X 36" sheet of newsprint, and in huge letters with a large red felt pen, printed, YES! I folded it up and mailed it back to him.
 When I got to the convention, Shel introduced me to Bob Kane, but Bob was unable to go with us to meet Milton Caniff. However, Dick Moores, who did Gasoline Alley was there, and Shel asked him if he wanted to go with us. You'd think that Dick was going to jump through hoops, he was so excited about going. He was a huge fan of Caniff's.- Dick Moores, Milton Caniff holding Dick Moores original Dick gave him, & Shel>
- We drove out to the San Diego airport and flew in a small plane over to Palm Springs. All the way over from San Diego to Palm Springs, Dick went on and on how he admired Milt's work. "Oh I love his work." "He's soo good!" "I hope I can get an original of his. I'll give him five of mine for one of his." Dick went on and on like this. (I wish you could have met Dick Moores. He was such a fine fellow. Probably at least in his 70's or 80's at the time. He really looked like one of his characters from Gasoline Alley. He was tall and lean, with a pretty good honker and huge white walrus type mustache, glasses way down on his nose, very high forehead with long white hair. He was always bent over lighting his large curved pipe and looking over his glasses. I could go on and on about Dick, but I'll save that for another time, if you're interested. Dick was a beautiful person. I loved that guy. He passed on in '86, I was sorry to learn.)
- Anyway, Dick was a huge huge fan of Milton Caniff, as were Shel and I. Milt met us at the airport. Shel introduced us, and I got my first ride in a Rolls Royce. In the front seat at that. Milt took us to a very fine restaurant and was greeted profusely by the maitre de'. Milt was a celebrity in Palm Springs. Milt's wife Bonnie joined us and we were all seated at a nice table.
- Almost as soon as we were seated at the table in the restaurant, Dick proceeded to pour forth his admiration to Milt. He went on and on about how much he liked his work etc. Of course Milt was smiling in appreciation through all this. Finally, Milt put his hand on Dick's and said, "Hey, I'm a fan of yours. Anyone who can draw a round brick smokestack in perspective has got to be good." Then it was Milton's turn to pour forth verbal accolades upon Dick. Shel and I winked at each other and fully enjoyed this exchange of mutual admiration.
- After dinner, Milt took us over to his studio. He had a whole house for his studio. He showed us his file of his work. We looked through albums of his work from Terry and the Pirates on up through Steve Canyon. He also showed us come of his other work as well.
- Then he took us into the room where he worked. I was so surprised at how "primitively" he worked. Just an old wooden drawing board like we had in art school, smeared with dried india ink, setting on a small kitchen type table.
- Now when I took art in high school, the teacher stressed how we should take good care of our brushes and wash them out really clean after each use, then "point' them (bring them to a nice point so they could keep their shape). On Milt's table was a jar of brushes sticking brush end up and with the bristles all spread out like open hands and caked hard with india ink. Then, Milt really shocked me when he reached for a brush, and then began beating the brush end on the edge of the table several times to loosen up the bristles. I cringed when he did that, thinking "Omigod, he's going to wreck that brush". Then he dipped his brush into the open bottle of india ink that was setting there next to the drawing board (he never capped his ink when he wasn't using it...apparently the ink evaporates a bit and the black gets denser), and faster than I can write this, he drew a beautiful girl on a piece of paper.
 We talked some more and took pictures. Then Milt told us that he had to get to bed as he had a meeting in the morning. He said, "Go through my collection of originals and each pick out one that you want. You have rooms all paid for in the motel across the road. I'll come by in the morning and bring donuts and coffee and sign your originals, and take you back to the airport. It's been a pleasure. Good night."- Man, we couldn't believe it! We were in heaven. We went then into the room where he kept his originals. He had all his strips bundled together in chronological order by month and year. We each took out a bundle and began going through them to find one we wanted to have. I picked out a bundle from 1951 and found one that I liked with Steve Canyon, Snowflower, Dragon Lady and another character whose name I don't recall at the moment. (In fact I'm looking at it up on the wall in front of me as I type this.) We each selected our strips then locked up the studio went across the street.
- The motel was very nice, and in the morning, sure enough, Milt appeared with breakfast, signed his originals and took us to the airport and we flew back to San Diego.
- Dick and I had a nice time to chat as we sat waiting for the plane. He drew me a couple of his characters as we sat there, which I treasure. I have so much respect and awe for Dick. We lost a great cartoonist and fine human being, mensch, when he passed on. Shel and I have remained good friends over the years. We haven't seen each other in several years now. I haven't gone to a comic convention in San Diego for several years now. It has gotten so huge and has changed a great deal, with the emphasis no longer on comics, but now on games, electronic stuff, movies, etc. They still have a lot of comics stuff, but not nearly like before. The last one I attended was about five years ago. I took our grandson, who was in high school at the time. He got to meet a lot of my cartoonist friends, and also got to see some movie stars (Lucy Liu, Ben something or other, and some others whose names slip my mind at the moment...of course, they'll pop back into my cerebellum as soon as I mail this off to you).
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- Letter From Dave Thorne
- Hi Greg,
Went to the site, and hey, how cool is that. Man, did you ever strike a nostalgic note in my solar plexus when I opened the site and saw the photos and read some of the stuff. You're doing a fine job there, amigo. Thanks for doing this and sharing it with the world. It is a fine thing you are doing, Greg. I'm sure Shel is smiling and sending you some big hugs. Aww man, now my eyes are starting to tear up. Thanks again, Greg.
I hope all is well with you. Be well, do good things, and laugh as often as possible.
Aloha,
Dave Thorne
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P.S.
Thank you for including me in the site. I appreciate that and am honored by it.
Dave is a great cartoonist and is the creator Thorney's Zoo and lives in Hawaii!
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- Letter From David Lemmo
- Hello Greg; how have you been? The book is coming along fine, and yes, your idea is a good one. First, I thought I'd write something for your Shel's Stories link. I'm focusing on the first time we met:
- The first time I met Shel was through my good friend Richard Alf. Richard had been telling me about Shel for a while, and how he founded the San Diego Comic Con. Richard related about how he, Shel, and some of the other founding members, brainstorming about the upcoming first event, were discussing having a well-known guest.
- When Shel said he knew Ray Bradbury, and that he could ask him, the others were a bit skeptical. Shel got on the phone to Ray, and set up a meeting. Shel and the boys went to the rendezvous, and there before them was Ray Bradbury himself. Well, that started the whole thing. I first met Shel during the early 1990s.
- Richard Alf took me to meet him, and the first thing that struck me was how open, friendly, and accommodating he was. There was someone else there, I can't recall who, and we all began talking; all the while my eyes wandered around the living room at the comic-book, comic-strip, pop culture memorabilia displayed.
- The Dick Tracy items caught my eye, as Richard had told me of Shel's interest in the character. Soon, Shel suggested I look in the other rooms also, and I did, marveling at the Steve Canyon material. Richard had also told me of Shel's work as a comic-strip letterer, and freelance artist.
- Shel was completely at ease letting a perfect stranger wander through his treasures, as my friendship with Richard Alf was all the recommendation he needed. Shel was also truly interested in my description of my own collection of pop culture memorabilia, and my proposed Museum of Modern Mythology and Pop Culture, which has come to fruition. He offered any help he could give for my endeavors.
- By the time we had to leave, I felt that Shel had already accepted me as a friend and kindred spirit. After this, it was easy for our friendship to grow. We all miss him.
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