Jim Davis

Jim Davis. . , Star Financial Bank can spot a star when it sees one and Jim Davis and his masterful creation - Garfield the Cat - are two of the brightest stars in the comic strip galaxy and you can take that to the bank., James Robert Davis was born right here in Marion, July 28, 1945 and grew up on a small farm near Fairmount. Jim probably would have become a farmer had it not been for his serious bouts with asthma as a child. Forced inside, away from regular farm chores, he spent hours alone sketching and doodling and observing others, which would later spawn into creations, characters expressing irony and humor for millions of people's entertainment. His passion for art took him to Ball State University where he studied art and business. From there, Jim Davis went on to advertising and eventually became an American iconic cartoonist who created the Garfield franchise. Jim Davis opened his production company Paws Inc. in 1981 and chose to stay in Indiana to build a creative house to support Garfield licensing. Paws' staff of artists, writers, designers, sculptors, animators, and A/V engineers, supports the creativity that goes into each Garfield product, promotion, and entertainment venue., Jim Davis has had many successes with Garfield, including four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program and induction into the Licensing Hall of Fame, but his most prized awards are from his peers in the National Cartoonist Society: Best Humor Strip (1981 and 1985), the Elzie Segar Award (1990), and the coveted Reuben Award for overall excellence in cartooning., Today, Paws Inc. does business in 111 countries and Garfield is read in 2570 newspapers by 263 million readers around the globe. Recently, Guinness World Records named Garfield "The Most Widely Syndicated Comic Strip in the World.", Because of the artistic talents of this small town Grant County farm boy, Jim Davis has created jobs around the world in marketing, sales, distribution, accounting and every job that is affiliated from his creations from comics, TV shows, movies, toys, shirts, books, etc., Thank you to Star for putting your interest in the youth of our community and giving a shining example of what art can do for a committed dreamer. The Community School of the Arts thanks Star Financial Bank for putting a spotlight on two of the brightest stars Grant County has ever had… Jim Davis and Garfield the Cat.