STRICTLY BUSINESS: SMOKEY BEAR: FROM CUB TO ICON

We were saddened to read about the death of Rudolph A. Wendelin.

Wendelin, you see, was sort of a cartoonist, although he hasn't received the laurels of more well-known artists such as Charles Schultz (Peanuts), Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey) or Murat B. "Chic" Young (Dagwood and Blondie).

But youngsters and adults alike are familiar with Wendelin art.

During a 40-year career with the U.S. Forest Service, Wendelin became best known as the "caretaker" of firefighting icon "Smokey Bear."

Wendelin, now 90, died recently from injuries he suffered in an automobile accident on Interstate 64 in Norfolk, Va.

Wendelin joined the Forest Service in Milwaukee in 1933. Following World War II service as a Navy artist, he resumed his Forest Service career as the man in charge of Smokey Bear, whom the Forest Service had come up with in 1945, as its "spokesman" in the fight against forest fires.

The bear's slogan, "Remember, only you can prevent forest fires," became one of the most familiar and imitated of all times.

Under Wendelin's guidance, the bear changed.

What had originally been a baby bear, and then a full-grown animal with long snout, fangs and fearsome claws, became a bear with more human features.

By the 1950s, the bear sported a ranger's hat and belted bluejeans. His paws had become hands, in which he carried a shovel to better protect America's forests.

Smokey's popularity under Wendelin's guidance grew. He appeared on government posters, postage stamps and television. He appeared in magazines, on television and even in a movie.

Eventually, his popularity reach the point where he was awarded his own ZIP Code, 20252.

Wendelin oversaw Smokey's activities until he retired from the Forest Service in 1973.

Smokey Bear Facts:

Kind of Bear: American black bear, lives in the United States.

Current weight: 300-plus pounds. Smokey has black bear relatives who weigh as much as 800 pounds. Some of his grizzly bear cousins weigh almost a ton.

Weight at birth: He weighed about as much as a big loaf of bread.

Favorite clothes: Smokey Bear hat, blue jeans and belt. Smokey can frequently be seen standing upright, with feet planted on ground, shovel in hand.

Favorite saying: "Only you can prevent forest fires."

Favorite foods: Ants, insects, salmon or trout, bark, plants, roots and berries.

Favorite winter activity: Heavy sleep accompanied by slow heart rate. This is sometimes called hibernation.

Labor Day: How it came about

Was it Peter J. McGuire?

Or was it Matthew Maguire?

We know that it wasn't Mark McGwire.

Even 100 years later, there are still some doubts as to who proposed the Labor Day Holiday, which we celebrated recently.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. It was changed to Monday in 1884. The special day, a creation of the labor movement, is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor workers.

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Patterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.

What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

Through the years, the United States has given increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on Feb. 2l, 1887. During the year four more states -- Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York -- created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska and Pennsylvania had followed suit.

Now, the special day is recognized nationally.