The only time I ever met Paul Fung, Jr., who was the artist on the Blondie comic book for 40 years, he was younger than I am now, and I was 17.

I was attending the 1973 Reuben Awards banquet thanks to friend Bill Kresse, and clueless teen comics fan that I was, I wandered the ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria with a pad and magic markers and asked the artists there—who were far more interested in eating, drinking, dancing, and schmoozing with their friends—for sketches.

Which is how I ended up with drawings of Superman by Curt Swan, Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker, Zonker Harris by Garry Trudeau, and many others … including this one from Fung.

Here’s wishing Paul Fung, Jr., who took the time to be nice to a teen noodge long ago and far away, a happy 91st birthday. May there be many more!