Ol' Sarge Turns 75

A celebration was held Oct. 18 to mark the 75th anniversary of the "Ol' Sarge" character and to honor his creator, Pete Tumlinson '42.

The celebration, in the Gates Ballroom of the Memorial Student Center, was hosted by the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association as part of the Rally to the Guidons event that weekend.

Ol' Sarge first appeared in October 1938 in a cartoon in the Battalion Humor Magazine as a character called "Magarkin," drawn by Tumlinson, a freshman artist who had recently joined the staff. Magarkin was later promoted to an upperclassman sergeant who continually harassed another of Tumlinson's creations, "Fish Blotto."

During Tumlinson's tenure from 1938 to 1942, he advanced to be the editor of the Battalion Humor Magazine and introduced other popular features, beginning with "Battalion Betty," featured monthly on the covers of the Batt magazines. He later introduced "The Tumlinson Boy," a satirical male pinup character.

Tumlinson died in 2008. After Pete's death, his brother, Dick Tumlinson '51, came across a file box marked "First Copies – Batt. Mags," containing proof copies of every issue of the Battalion Humor Magazine from 1938 through 1942. Dick Tumlinson has compiled pages from those magazines that contained Pete's artistry into a new book, Magarkin – The Original Ol' Sarge, which includes Magarkin, Fish Blotto, Battalion Betty and The Tumlinson Boy. For purchase information, contact Dick Tumlinson at (316) 734-8885 or dicktum51@aol.com.

After his time at A&M, Pete Tumlinson served as an Air Corps pilot during World War II and went on to become a successful cartoonist in New York City and later a commercial artist and illustrator in Texas.

Tumlinson's Ol' Sarge was the first, but versions by many other artists followed, including ones by Jim Earl '54 (also known for his "Slouch" cartoons) and the superhero "Super Sarge" by Bob Shemwell '82. The latest version of Ol’ Sarge is seen on the decal of the Corps of Cadets Association.