Dorothy Henry (October 31, 1925 – December 21, 2020), born Dorothy Alice Leenknecht, was an American cartoonist and illustrator. She drew and wrote a newspaper comic strip, Bill and Sue, in London in the 1950s.

Dorothy Henry
A white woman with short dark curly hair, smiling, wearing eyeglasses.
Dorothy Lee Manning, later Dorothy Henry, from a 1957 newspaper.
Born
Dorothy Alice Leenknecht

October 31, 1925
Detroit, Michigan
DiedDecember 21, 2020(2020-12-21) (aged 95)
Other namesDorothy Lee Manning (after first marriage)
Occupation(s)Cartoonist, illustrator

Early life and education

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Dorothy Leenknecht was born in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of August Leenknecht[1] and Dorothy Jean Waltham Leenknecht. She graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1943.[2] She studied art at Wayne State University and the Detroit Institute of Arts, and with the Art Students League of New York.[3] She earned an associate degree in art from St. Clair County Community College.[4]

Career

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During World War II, Leenknecht was a member of the Civil Air Patrol.[4] While she was a young wife and mother living in London in the 1950s, Dorothy Manning took over drawing and writing an existing comic strip, Bill and Sue, for the Daily Herald.[2]

Back in Michigan, Dorothy Henry was staff illustrator at the Port Huron Times Herald.[5] She was an active member of the Port Huron Hiking Club,[6] the Blue Water Art Club, the Sarnia Rock and Fossil Club, and the Blue Water Lapidary Society.[7] She was president of the board of trustees at the Port Huron Museum. In 1975, she had a one-woman show of her works, including comic strips, commercial illustrations, sketches and paintings, at the Port Huron Museum.[8]

Personal life

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Dorothy Leenknecht married twice. Her first husband was Englishman Lawrence Sydney Rayson Manning; they married in 1951,[9] and had two children, Jessie and Robert. Her second husband was electrical engineer Howard Patrick Henry Jr.[7] She died in 2020, aged 95 years.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Leenknecht (obituary notice)". Detroit Free Press. August 23, 1974. p. 30. Retrieved December 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "She Keeps London in Stitches". Detroit Free Press. November 7, 1957. p. 29. Retrieved December 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Dorothy Henry Will Speak on 'An Artist's Portfolio'". The Times Herald. May 31, 1973. p. 18. Retrieved December 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Dorothy Henry Obituary (1925 - 2020)". The Times Herald. December 23, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  5. ^ Degg, D. D. "Dorothy Henry – RIP" The Daily Cartoonist (December 24, 2020).
  6. ^ Sibula, Steve (October 15, 1985). "Nature Lures Hiking Club to the Trails". The Times Herald. p. 21. Retrieved December 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b Heyboer, Linda (September 4, 1976). "Port Huron Couple Excels as Rockhounds". The Times Herald. p. 3. Retrieved December 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Artist Dorothy Henry: Looking at Two Fences and Loving 'em Both..." The Times Herald. October 5, 1975. p. 42. Retrieved December 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Marriage Licenses". Livingston County Daily Press and Argus. June 20, 1951. p. 8. Retrieved December 30, 2020.