From the February 2008 Peg-Board

GUSTAVO "GUS" ARRIOLA, who segued from an early start in animation to a career as the artist of the long-running comic strip Gordo, died February 8 at the age of ninety.

Born in Arizona, after high school he spent a year at Mintz on Krazy Kat, then three years doing story sketch in the MGM Tom and Jerry unit. He started the Gordo strip in 1941, but was interrupted by World War II in which he worked in the Army Signal Corps Photographic Unit.

The Gordo strip was one of the first strips to celebrate Mexican-American culture, albeit through the slightly overweight anti-hero Gordo Lopez, who had a penchant for charro suits and female tourists.

Arriola published the last Gordo strip on March 2, 1985. He is survived by his wife Mary Frances to whom he was married for sixty-five years.