Don Flowers

• Born — 1908 • Birthplace — Custer City, Oklahoma, U.S. • Died — 1968 • Cartoonist — y • Notable Works — Modest Maidens / Glamor Girls • Illustration — Don Flowers' Glamor Girls

One of three children, Flowers was born in 1908 in Custer City, Oklahoma, to Mabel Flowers and photographer W.A. Flowers. He dropped out of school at age 16 and spent five years working at The Kansas City Star as a staff artist and photo retoucher.

After a brief job with the Chicago American, Flowers moved to New York where he was a staff artist at the Associated Press. He created his first syndicated feature, Puffy the Pig, for AP Newsfeatures in 1930. The following year, he began drawing Oh, Diana! and introduced a pinup-style with Modest Maidens, both for AP Newsfeatures. Modest Maidens brought him a weekly salary of $25, which tripled the following year. During World War II, the gals of Modest Maidens learned first aid, dug in victory gardens, entertained GIs and served as wardens and lookouts.

Modest Maidens became so successful that William Randolph Hearst of King Features Syndicate wanted the feature and offered Flowers double what he earned at AP. However, AP held the rights, so Flowers simply renamed his panel Glamor Girls and signed on with King Features. Oh, Diana! was continued by Bill Champs and Phil Berube after Flowers left AP for King Features in 1945. Virginia Clark was drawing Oh, Diana! in 1947. Modest Maidens, was taken over by AP staff artist Jay Alan. At its peak, Glamor Girls ran in 300 newspapers. Flowers continued to draw the Glamor Girls daily and Sunday panels until his 1968 death from emphysema.

Don Flowers is recorded as cartoonist and comics artist.