Jane, Don, and Alfred in Guatemala, c. 1959

Jane, Don, and Alf Mangus in Guatamala, c. 1959

Marvin D. Mangus by Jane G. Mangus

Marv and Jane: The Forties through the Sixties

Jane and Marvin Mangus

Marvin Mangus fishing in Alaska

Marvin Mangus, Penn State Gymnastics Team, c. 1944

Marvin Mangus, Penn State Gymnastics Team, c. 1944

Marvin Mangus, Penn State Gymnastics Team, c. 1944

Marvin Mangus, Atlantic Refining Co. North Slope camp, Alaska, c. 1961

Marvin Mangus, Atlantic Refining Co. North Slope camp, Alaska, c. 1961

Marvin Mangus, Atlantic Refining Co. North Slope camp, Alaska, c. 1961

Quote of the Day

Don: "We are all hanging by a thread."

Jane: "So let it be a beautiful thread."

Th lobby of Anchorage Medical and Surgery Clinic in downtown Anchorage.

Don's First Published Cartoon, April 28, 1972

From the Anchorage Daily Times, April 28, 1972

It's not shown in the scan, but underneath the cartoon is this article, complete with a bold headline:

Donald Mangus Is Cartoonist

The cartoons above, showing three "endangered species of Alaska" are the imaginative work of a 16-year old East High student, Donald Mangus.

Young Mangus, points a sharp pen at the curtailment of petroleum jobs and activities since the proposed trans-Alaskan pipeline has been delayed again and again.

He comes by his interest in the oil industry and in art naturally. His father is Marvin D. Mangus, a well-known Alaska petroleum geologist and one of Alaska's most noted artists. The satirical captions were written by Mrs. Mangus, thus making this a family project.

Actually the whole thing was Jane's idea and we were both thrilled when it saw print. My cartooning career was formally launched.

Mangus Family Lore: Guatemala City 1959

Alfred, Donald, and Marvin Mangus lensed by Jane Mangus, Guatemala City, 1959.

I've been surrounded by art, science, and books my whole life. Those are my father's landscape paintings on the wall behind us. My father always wanted to be a full-time artist, but my grandfather, Alfred R. Mangus (my brother's namesake), was very practical, and so dad became a geologist instead, studying at Penn State.

Marv soon took up painting as a member of the Washington D.C. Landscape Club in his free time, and he was mentored by another member artist there named Roger Rittase. These fifties paint daubers had a direct lineage to Daniel Garber, and they painted in an style now characterized as Pennsylvania Impressionism.

Dad combined his science with his art for an unparalleled understanding and appreciation of whatever landscape he found himself in. On top of that, he was a robust man of adventure, happily exploring and mapping remote regions in the Canadian and Alaskan Arctic, in the jungles of Guatemala, and far-flung lands elsewhere. It was not uncommon for him to be away on a field trip for months at a time and this was during the days of limited communication.

Dad preferred the arid climate of Alaska, but he had many memorable adventures in Guatemala. He would be hacking his way through the jungle with his guides, only to stumble across an ancient, abandoned Mayan pyramid that hadn't been touched in centuries. He also told me he accidentally discovered a Cold War compound where ordinance and vehicles were being stockpiled for the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.

My mother enjoyed living in Guatemala, but Dad was glad to move on. We lived in Guatemala City from 1958-60. Our next stop would be Calgary, Canada.

Mangus Family Lore: Marv and Jane Mangus, 1950

My mom and dad, Marvin and Jane, on their honeymoon in 1950. Since neither one of them admitted to doing any jail time, I believe this shot was taken at the National Zoo, Washington DC's 163-acre zoological park set within the Rock Creek National Park, which now features more than 400 different species of animals. The National Zoo is a part of the Smithsonian Institution, and admission is free.

Mangus Family Lore: Chester H. Gray, 1950

Here's mom at her wedding with her father, Chester H. Gray. Chester was the Corporation Counsel  of Washington D. C. This is the title given to the chief legal officer in some municipal and county jurisdictions, who handles civil claims against the city, including negotiating settlements and defending the city when it is sued. According to Wikipedia, in Washington D.C., the former Corporation Counsel, now known as Attorney General, prosecutes adult misdemeanors and juvenile delinquency cases in addition to traffic and local ordinance violations. What I remember most is that Grandad had a city license plate on his car of "4." The President's was "1," the VP's "2", and so on, so we thought, wow, he 's a real power broker in our nation's capitol.

Unfortunately, he died at the age of 65, just a week after retiring. Since we lived in Guatemala, Canada, and then Alaska, I only got to visit him a few times on vacations. He was the first Grandparent to die. Even so, he made a huge impression on me. He was urbane, loved reading mystery novels, playing cards, chess, and the had a "system" for betting on horses. He smoked, drank dinner cocktails, and he wasn't shy about putting huge pats of butter on his baked potato. Family lore has it that he was an amazingly fast touch-typist, and he learned the law at night school. I believe he got a signed letter of commendation from FDR for his invaluable typing skills in the service. This photograph is exactly how I remember him.