During retirement, he ran a guest house near Yellowstone National Park, and pursued his first love - painting wildlife and nature scenes.
He grew up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. He had early success as an artist in a World's Fair contest for children. He attended Manhattan's High School of Music and Art and Brooklyn College.
He got his first job in comics as a teenager, drawing background foliage for "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle".