Shrdlu Cartoons

Today I happened to find your online edition and saw the cartoons. It’s interesting to me that I learned the word Shrdlu from my father, Sam Gerald. Daddy was the editor (and, I think, part owner) of the La Feria News when those cartoons were used, and I spent many hours with him at the office.

Sometimes I got paid for folding papers, and I can still smell the printer’s ink and feel the fires from the linotype machines. It was a great place for an elementary school girl to play with the typewriters and the metal type and to spend time outside with the cactus, snails, and occasional tarantulas.

I remember the shock we had the day Daddy went to work and found that burglars had broken in and even dragged the safe outside! Oh, and another thing: I used to sleep in the back seat of our car that was parked in front of the paper when my parents were working there late at night. No one would dare do that today!

I wish I could help with the cartoonist’s name, but you may have found the right one.

Thanks for the memories.
Daphne Miller
Austin, TX