The King William Association is delighted to invite author, Paul V. Allen, to talk about his biography of Jack Kent, former King William resident and author of the comic strip “King Aroo.” Mr. Allen is based in Normal, Illinois and has published three nonfiction books on American popular culture. He is a member of the Biographers International Association and Popular Culture Association.

Jack Kent (1920-1985) was born in Burlington, Iowa, and came to San Antonio with his parents in the 1920s. They resided at 103 W Johnson St. Influenced by Krazy Kat cartoonist George Herriman, who became his mentor through exchanges of letters over many years, Kent worked as a free-lance artist and caricaturist as a teenager. From 1950-1965 he drew the cult-favorite comic strip King Aroo, which ran in the San Antonio Express and nationally. In the mid-1960s he turned his attention to children’s books, ultimately publishing more than 60 titles.