Erma Bombeck was America's favorite humorist at the time of her death in 1996. Ten of her 13 books, including Forever, Erma, appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. She claimed her first fiction writing was the weather forecast in the Dayton Herald. Her favorite food was pasta, and her hobby was dust.
Bil Keane never formally studied art, but by faithfully re-creating the world around him, he developed the phenomenally successful cartoon panel The Family Circus. Through the years, Keane made his family life the center of his professional world and always tried to portray the typical American family. Bil died in November 2011. His son, Jeff, who worked with his father for years, remains at the helm of the great feature and continues his dad’s tradition of putting a smile on readers’ faces every day.