William (Bill) W. Tara. (1916 - 1979)

He was born on July 4, 1916, and died penniless in 1979 in the VA Hospital, Los Angeles, California.  Bill was a very good graphic artist. Unfortunately though, he was a very poor businessman.  As a side line business, Bill created many lithography masters for commercial retail sales while employed for various firms as a movie director, animator and graphic artist.  Some of his best works were his line drawings (litho's) and on his early litho's, Bill would hand watercolor them and sign them in pencil.
 
William Tara was educated In California Public Schools.  He attended Los Angeles City College.  In 1942 Bill became a free-lance illustrator and designer.  He was the Art Director at CBS Radio in Hollywood and illustrated for Walt Disney. Tara spent time in the Infantry in 1945 and was the Feature Editor of the Saipan Daily Target during his tour of duty in the Mariannas.
 
His illustrations included work for Union Oil, Lockheed, Hunts Food, Sunkist and Mobile Gas.  Tara created illustrations and was the Designs Publisher for Din International's Poster Annual and was Art Director for professional cartooning.  For a number of years, Bill illustrated for the Catholic Digest.
 
Art Awards: Art Directors Club Of New York, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco.  George W. Kleiser Medal and Schmidt Lithograph Award.  Two certificates of esteem from the U.S. Department of Defense for the tours of Korea and Germany.  He was decorated by French UN Forces.

Member of the Society of Illustrators (New York), Board of Governors of Art Directors Clubs, International Design Conference of Aspen, and others.

Information courtesy of Dave Stoner; the material is based on conversations with the brother of the artist and various other public sources.