By Sterling McGinn
The late Ralph Newman, born and raised in Newberry, will receive the 2024 Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing posthumously for his significant contributions to the field.
Newman delighted countless youngsters with his stories and cartoons.
The Bill Finger award, named for the co-creator of Batman, honors writers who work in the comic book industry. Given annually since 2005, the award is given to one living recipient and one posthumous recipient—this year, that’s Ralph Newman. Newman will be honored at the Comic-Con International Convention in San Diego on July 26. Ralph’s daughter, Marilyn, is expected to attend the awards ceremony.
Ralph Newman’s great-nephew, Jim Newman, who lives in California, follows a blog called News from Me by Mark Evanier, an American comic book and television writer. Evanier is also an administrator of the Bill Finger Award.
“He put out a call for applications for people deserving for the award,” Jim Newman said. Jim nominated his great-uncle Ralph.
Ralph Newman was born in Newberry on June 27, 1914, in a shingle-covered farmhouse on what is now called Newman Road, just off Miller Road (County Road 403 North.) “I remember as a kid we went to Newman Road and saw the depression in the ground where the house was,” Jim Newman said. “The mailbox was lying down and I took it and still have it.”
Ralph’s parents were John and Matilda Upgord Newman. Newman had four siblings: John, Gilbert, Harry, and Alice.
He attended the Crandell one-room school on M-28 through elementary school and later graduated from Newberry High School.
From 1934-1935, he was a member of President Roosevelt’s New Deal Civilian Conservation Corps and worked in one of their camps in the Upper Peninsula.
He furthered his education at Albion College, where he majored in fine arts. Intending to become a public school instructor, he changed paths to become a cartoonist and received a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Following graduation from Albion in 1938, Newman took a job for a couple of months on an advertising paper before enrolling in a life class at the Chicago Professional School of Art.
At first, Newman created advertising cartoons and later magazine cartoons. His first magazine cartoon sale was for Amazing Stories.
He also worked for Harvey Comics and wrote stories for popular characters Casper the Friendly Ghost, Richie Rich, Little Audrey, Little Lotta, Sad Sack and many more. Despite all the work Newman did for these comics, he did not receive credit in the publications. He had also been a cartoonist with Terrytoons, the producers of Mighty Mouse.
While serving in the military during WWII, Newman drew comics and wrote for the Stars and Stripes newspaper in London. While still in the military, Newman met and married Raimunda Tarrago Cortina, and they had one daughter, Marilyn.
Newman sold numerous freelance cartoons and gag lines for magazines including the New Yorker.
Newman often corresponded with friends and with old acquaintances in the Newberry area. His envelopes and stationery usually contained a sketch or two pertaining to the individual he was writing. A number of his Christmas cards featured winter scenes at the Crandell School.
In later years, Newman donated his talents to various senior citizen groups, the Peabody Museum at Yale University, and the Guilford Public Library.
Newman died November 9, 1989, in Guilford, Conn. at the age of 75.