776 Gallant and Goofus

Remember the cartoon panel in Highlights for Children of the two boys, one well mannered and ethical, and the other clueless about behavior and attitude? Garry C. Myers III, the CEO of Highlights, was the child model for Gallant. His grandparents Garry Cleveland Myers and Caroline Clark Myers founded Highlights in 1946. Garry III's obituary was in the local paper yesterday. He died January 26.

The parents of young "Gallant" were killed in a plane crash and he and his siblings were raised by an aunt and uncle in Texas. The Columbus Dispatch reports "He graduated from U.S. Army Language School in Monterey, California, and served as a Spanish language specialist in Panama. He received a bachelor's degree in International Affairs at George Washington University in 1972 and then earned a M.B.A. in marketing from the University of Michigan. In 1971 at age 24 and while still in the Army, Myers was elected to the board of directors of Highlights for Children, Inc. He joined Highlights in 1975 as a management information analyst. In 1978, he became vice president of mail sales and promotion and in 1980 was named president of the Highlights corporation. Myers had been chief executive officer since 1981." Many service and volunteer organizations are listed.

I Googled "Gallant and Goofus" and discovered they have been used in sermons, TV show scripts and particularly punditry appearing in both red and blue state blogs.

Highlights Foundation has workshops for children's writers.