Al Kaelin Biography

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Al Kaelin (Al Kaelin lived in el Sereno and taught art at Wilson High School for 25 years. Kaelin served in the Air Force from 1942 to 1946. He drew his first cartoon for the Junior TImes section of the Los Angeles TImes at age 13, the first of 5000 cartoons he sold to the newspapers and magazines. Kaelin worked his way through UCLA playing violin and saxophone in his own dance orchestra. He also played violin in the UCLA symphony orchestra, and was the art editor of the UCLA year book and humor magazine when he graduated in 1938.

Kaelin attended Art Center College of Design. After World War II he taught at Wilson High and served one term as President of the L.A. Art Teachers Association. He left Wilson to work as creative consultant to Patrick J. Frawley, Jr., Board Chairman of Schick, Eversharp, and Technicolor. Kaelin returned to the L.A. city schools as illustrator for Federally Funded Programs, and then continued teaching art at Belmont High for 15 years. He was Faculty President in 1973-74.

Kaelin retired from the city schools in 1985 after working 43 1/2 years. As a free-lance art director, Kaelin designed political campaigns at Baus and Ross Co., for Governor "Pat" Brown, Mayor Yorty, Sheriff Pitchess, Assessor Watson, Attorney General Younger, etc. His nationally syndicated cartoon feature, "Around Town" appeared in the L.A. Catholic Tidings for 22 years. He designed and built his own home and created his own Christmas cards. He was Secretary of the Inter-Global Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Cartoonists and President of All Saints parish Holy Name Society.

Biography Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times

California Watercolor