Elton Fax

Elton Clay Fax (1909-1993) was an American illustrator, cartoonist, and writer renowned for his depictions of Black life and culture, including the comic strip Susabelle and books like Garvey: The Story of a Pioneer Black Nationalist (1972) and Seventeen Black Artists (1972), for which he won the Coretta Scott King Award. He illustrated over 30 books, contributed to pulp magazines such as Weird Tales, taught art, and traveled extensively as a U.S. State Department lecturer, documenting his journeys in works like West African Vignettes (1960) and Through Black Eyes (1974). Fax received additional honors including Syracuse University's Chancellor's Medal (1990) and a Rockefeller Foundation grant (1976).