Gordon Leroy Holley was born in 1932 in Phoenix, Arizona, and grew up in Watsonville, California. He sold his first commissioned piece of work at the age of 15, and enlisted in the Navy aged 21. He served as a weapons inspector on the aircraft carrier USS Bairoko during the Korean War, and spent his free time drawing cartoons for the publications Our Navy Magazine and All Hands. After the war, he enrolled at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, and became an animator at Warner Bros. in 1955, working in Sylvester and Tweety creator Friz Freleng’s unit.
In 1958, Holley became the assistant and ghost illustrator for “Dennis the Menace” creator Hank Ketcham, creating the Sunday edition of the strip, cereal box advertisements and Little Golden Books starring the character. Two years later, Holley launched his own daily comic strip, “Ponytail,” at King Features Syndication.
Following the trials and tribulations of its titular teenager, Ponytail Johnson, “Ponytail” wasn’t the first comic strip about an adolescent, but it was considered the most authentic. As Holley explained, he’d talk to teenagers at pizza parlors and attend dances, subscribed to teen publications, and even sat in on classes at his old high school to gain a better insight into what made them tick. Holley’s sister, Donna Roberts, stated Holley also drew on his own youth: “Ponytail’s boyfriend, Donald, was our brother Donald; Ponytail’s father was like our dad. He drew on those memories.”
“Ponytail” ran in roughly 300 newspapers until October 16, 1988, and was considered a major draw for many young readers. Holley also oversaw the character’s adventures in a Dell Comics series which ran from 1962 to 1965, and for another book which was published by Charlton Comics from 1969 to 1971. Holley also returned to his roots by drawing Gold Key Comics’s “Looney Tunes” and “Porky Pig” during the ’70s, and the “Bugs Bunny” newspaper comic from 1980 to 1988, when he chose to retire following the end of “Ponytail.”
Aside from drawing, Holley was an avid runner, participating in over 50 marathons, including 10 Boston Marathons. He enjoyed flying, particularly in his own single engine aircraft at Monterey Bay. Holley died in his aircraft after he crashed at Marina’s municipal airport last month, though it was only last week that forensic analysts were able to verify that it was his body they found.
Holley is survived by his wife, Patricia, their daughter Karen, as well as Susan Carothers, his daughter from a previous marriage, and two grandchildren and a great-grandson. Services will be held today, and in his obituary, the family have asked for fans to consider donating to Veterans, Alzheimer’s Association, or another charity of your choice in lieu of flowers. For more on Holley’s life, head over to The New York Times, and Lambiek Comiclopedia.
