Minor mystery of an Annapolis midshipman apparently reading Mad in 1955

by Mike Rhode

A colleague was looking through the US Naval Academy yearbook, The Lucky Bag 1959 and I noticed that a midshipman was reading Mad as a first year student (which is internally dated as being 1955, logically enough for a four year college). So I scanned it thinking that it was just another example of someone reading comics in an earlier day.

But what's odd is that this cover, showing Alfred E. Neumann walking away from a trash can labelled 'What me worry?" doesn't actually seem to be a  1955 MAD cover, based on the Grand Comics Database's cover gallery.

What it actually is though is the first issue of More Trash from Mad from 1958 with art by Kelly Freas. So, shockingly, somebody mis-attributed the date of the photograph in the yearbook.

cover from Grand Comics Database

World War II cartoons from the Navy's medical historian's office

The Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery's historian's office holds a collection of newsletters and newspapers from various naval hospitals. U.S. Naval Hospital Aiea Heights had two issues and 2 fragments of an issue that are now online at the Medical Heritage Library. Here's the cartoons from them.

Robert Woodcock was one of the best of them and had two in the November 11, 1944 issue, and is featured in an article here.

Virgil Partch, aka VIP, was one of the best cartoonists and went on to a serious postwar career in cartooning. This is from December 15, 1945.

Al Santamauro (Nov. 11, 1943) and Bill Pietsch (Dec. 12, 1945) both seem to have disappeared from the cartooning world.

Warner Bros.' Sylvester in the Naval History and Heritage Command

This is probably in storage down in the Navy Yard. Sylvester was into body piercings earlier than most Americans apparently.

Accession, 2010-96-1
Plaque, Ship, USS Alameda County, AVB-1
24" Diameter x 0.5 "H.
Wood, Paint.

Plaque, Ship, USS Alameda County.
The USS Alameda County was redesignated an Advance Aviation Base Ship in 1957. Prior to that the Alameda was originally designated a Tank Landing Ship LST-32. The Alameda was decommissioned in 1962.

Collection of Curator Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command.

Snoopy in Navy Medicine

Naval Hospital, Port Hueneme, 1973. Of All Things--Snoopy is a permanent resident in the Pediatric playroom. [Peanuts, comic strip].


published in Navy Medicine, September 1973.

BUMED Navy Medicine Historical Files Collection - Facilities - Port Hueneme #12-0186-015

Donald Duck in Navy medicine

I was filing some material at work today, and ran across this image of Donald Duck.

There's two other uses of the same image in the book that can be seen on the Flickr site. The caption for this one is:

Disney's Donald Duck "Mob 8 Insignia" page 160 of The Story of U.S. Naval Mobile Hospital Number 8 by CAPT. William H.H. Turville, NY: Robert W. Kelly Publishing Corp, ca. 1946.

From BUMED's Navy Medicine Historical Files Collection - Facilities - Base Hospitals.  12-0185-003

1958 photo of comic books for sale

Interior of ships service at Naval Hospital. [Scene. Comic books. Store.] Pensacola, Florida. 07/21/1958.
Courtesy of US Navy BUMED Office of Medical History 09-5044-023

I ran across this photograph at work today. The comic books visible are all Dell - Donald Duck, Porky Pig, Tarzan and Tweety & Sylvester. Note the spinner rack says Buy Approved Comics and has a picture of the Comic Code Authority seal. Also note there's a girl reading the comics, but she moved when the picture was taken so we can't tell what she's looking at.

Donald in pre-World War 2 US Navy yearbook

I'm not an expert in Disney history, but most people know the company helped America's war effort in World War II by designing logos for units, and making training films. At work, I've stumbled across this pre-war (to America at least) example of the Naval Air Station Pensacola Florida yearbook The Flight Jacket 1940, which was compiled for the training class for new pilots. At some point in the next few months, the yearbook will be transferred to the more appropriate Navy Department Library in the Washington Navy Yard which appears to need a copy. In the meantime, one can see scans of the famed Duck here.

OT: Comic books in Naval Hospital Beaufort's gift shop, circa 1954

This picture came across my desk at work today - A man in a wheelchair with his leg in a cast examines the magazine and comic book selection at Naval Hospital Beaufort's gift shop, circa 1954. Photograph courtesy of Regena Kowitz, Public Affairs Officer/Customer Relations Officer, Naval Hospital Beaufort, South Carolina. US Navy BUMED Office of Medical History 12-0064-07.

The comics that I can recognize are Betty and Veronica, The Spirit, Tip Top (featuring Peanuts), Red Ryder, Rin Tin Tin, Tarzan, Donald Duck, Love ?, Love Romances? Mighty ? - a lot of Dell books there.

Navy World War 2 cartoon by Hotchkiss online now

"He had his heart set on pate de foie gras. Navy chow is the best!
Take all you can eat, eat all you can take! Don't be finicky!"
[Nutrition.] [Propaganda.] [World War 2.] [Illustration by "Hotchkiss USNR".] World War II. Cartoon.
1944; Bureau of Supplies and Accounts: Navy; U.S. Government Printing Office; U.S. Navy BUMED Library and Archives

Ketcham and Hotchkiss' Navy cartoon posters from World War 2

Courtesy of the US Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, the National Museum of Health and Medicine has scans of these Navy posters from World War 2.

One is by Dennis the Menace creator Hank Ketcham -



The rest are by Hotchkiss -

Naval Academy to recruit via comic books

See the story about the The U.S. Naval Academy's coming comic book at "Academy aims to appeal to minorities: Superintendent unveils tailored recruiting tools," By Stephen Kiehl, Baltimore Sun reporter, August 22, 2008. And here I thought comics weren't for kids anymore.