E.c. Segar

The son of a handyman, his earliest work experiences included assisting his father in house painting and paper hanging. Skilled at playing drums, he also provided musical accompaniment to films and vaudeville acts in the local theater, where he was eventually given the job of film projectionist.

Evans of Cleveland, Ohio. He said that after work he "lit up the oil lamps about midnight and worked on the course until 3am."
Segar moved to Chicago where he met Richard F. On March 12, 1916, the Herald published Segar's first comic, Charlie Chaplin's Comedy Capers, which ran for a little over a year.In 1918, he moved on to William Randolph Hearst's Chicago Evening American where he created Looping the Loop. The strip made its debut on December 19, 1919, featuring the characters Olive Oyl, Castor Oyl and Horace Hamgravy, whose name was quickly shortened in the strip to simply "Ham Gravy".

In January 1929, when Castor Oyl needed a mariner to navigate his ship to Dice Island, Castor picked up an old salt down by the docks named Popeye. Popeye's first line in the strip, upon being asked if he was a sailor, was "'Ja think I'm a cowboy?" The character stole the show and became the permanent star.Segar's Sappo (1933)

Segar also created The Five-Fifteen for King Features in 1920; it was retitled Sappo in 1926.
Pronunciation of his name
Asked how to say his name, he told The Literary Digest it was "SEE-gar". He commonly signed his work simply "Segar" or "E. (At that time, the word "cigar" was often pronounced "SEE-gar" instead of the more proper "sih-GAR".)
Death and Legacy
After prolonged illness, Segar died of liver disease at the age of 43. Segar's longtime assistant, Bud Sagendorf, took over the strip and continued it for two years.
In 1971, the National Cartoonists Society created the Elzie Segar Award in his honor.

According to the Society's web site, the award "was presented to a person who has made a unique and outstanding contribution to the profession of cartooning." The NCS board of directors chose the first winners, while King Features Syndicate selected recipients in later years. Honorees have included Charles Schulz, Bil Keane, Al Capp, Bill Gallo and Mort Walker.The award was discontinued in 1999.
In 1977, Segar's hometown of Chester, Illinois honored its native son with a park named in his honor. The park is home to a six-foot-tall bronze statue of Popeye, and since 1980 has been the site of the annual Popeye Picnic, a weekend-long event that celebrates the character with a parade, film festival and other activities. In 2006, Chester launched the ambitious "Popeye & Friends Character Trail," which links a series of statues of Segar's characters located throughout town. Each stands on a base inscribed with the names of donors who contributed to its cost, and is unveiled and dedicated during the Popeye Picnic.

A statue of Olive Oyl, Swee'Pea and the Jeep, located downtown near the Randolph County Courthouse, followed in 2007. To keep the slate on schedule, one year will feature two dedications, with the Sea Hag as the "wild card." According to the "Map to the Stars" promo piece released by the town, the schedule continues as follows:
A few Chester businesses are named for Popeye characters, including Rough-House Pizza and Sweet Pea's Restaurant (renamed under new management).
On December 8, 2009 Google honored Segar's 115th birthday with a Google Doodle of Popeye.Segar" by Ed Black
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Zak Sally Minneapolis City Pages
E.C.