Wallace “Wally” Tripp is an American Illustrator best known for his children's books and Pawprints Greeting Cards. Wally was born in Boston in 1940 and grew up in rural New Hampshire and New York. Drawing was a favorite childhood past-time that he never gave up. Wally attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (SMFA} where he studied illustration and annoyed his teachers with his irreverent sense of humor. He received a bachelor's degree in education from Keene State College and an M.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire. He then taught English for three years until devoting himself full-time to illustration, thanks much to the business prowess of his then-wife, Marcy, who later presided over Pawprints Greeting Cards and Sparhawk Books. In spite of his all-consuming devotion to EC Comics, Skookum Indians, RC model aviation, Middle-English poetry and Classical music, Wally managed to illustrate over 60 books and create 600 cards for Pawprints. Tripp was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 46 and had to retire from illustration soon after. In 2001, Wally underwent the life-altering deep-brain stimulation surgery at UCLA Medical Center, which was an extraordinary success. Wallace still writes a little, puns a lot and has never stopped drawing. Tripp has three eccentric children (all artists) and three grandsons; two musicians and a biologist. Tripp currently lives in Peterborough, New Hampshire and can frequently be found trolling the aisles of his beloved Toadstool Bookstore.
