Dale “Brenda Starr” Messick’s Daughter Remembers Shel Dorf

As the holidays begin, I was thinking of Shel and looked him up. Wish I had done it sooner. I sent him greetings last year knowing he was very ill, but did not know he had died. Wish someone had contacted me.

I am Dale Messick’s daughter. My mother created Brenda Starr and Shel was one of her biggest fans. I first met him in 1993 at The Southern California Cartoonist Society in San Diego. He put together a slide show of my mother’s artwork and she narrated.

In the late 90’s he did a series of four books about my mother and Brenda so we had a lot of contact at that time. The books are quite wonderful and I am so happy to have them. His enthusiasm was infectious. He was very thorough, presenting well researched material, inviting both me and my daughter to make written contributions.

There are things in those books that I have never seen anywhere else. As you know, years ago cartoonists gave away their art so much of their work is lost to their families and fans. Thanks to Shel I have a treasure trove of her work collected in those books.

Shel was a sweet man with a sincere interest in others and a huge appreciation of comic art. I am so glad he was given such a well deserved tribute. I know he was smiling and pleased with his legacy.

With love,

Starr Rohrman and daughter Laura Dale.