When I returned to The Evergroove State College as an employee 1986-1988 I became acquainted with a student who was another cartoonist named David George. He frequently signed his name DaVid.
His work had a strong Deadhead theme, and many of his projects never saw the light of day. But he did produce several posters, some self-published comix and an irregular newspaper called the Evergrateful and as well as The Evergreen Free Press. The poster shown here is from 1987.
He was a petite person with an intense manner under a quiet veneer. We stayed in touch in the 1990s through infrequent correspondence. He lifted Morty the Dog quite a bit out of my comix and used the mutt's image in several published works. Sometimes without permission, I might add.
Anyway, David came to a horrible end around 2003. Here is a narrative from Crime Time News:
Friday, March 26, 2004
DAVE THE DEADHEAD IS DEAD
Olympia, WA - When David George didn't show up at the Oregon County Fair last July, his friends knew something was wrong. The artist made it a ritual to come and paint signs in his own trademark eclectic style. Everyone familiar with the fifty-one year old batchelor also knew he smoked a little dope and had followed his favorite band, the Grateful Dead, all over the world.
For a while Dave designed and sold t-shirts at concerts. That is how he and lead guitarist, Jerry Garcia, became friends. It was Jerry who invited Dave to accompany the group when they played in front of the pyramids in Egypt. Dave even carried a pebble he had picked up there in his pocket.
About a week after the fair, a dismembered body was found and a week after that it was identified as most of David George. Police got several breaks in the case and soon arrested two men, Mert Celebisoy, 21, and Joseph D'Allesandro, 19. As often happens, the accused quickly turned on one another. Both agreed, though, that the death was the result of an argument over drugs. Each claimed to be driving a car when the other stabbed Dave, who was sitting in the passenger seat, five times with a hunting knife.
Forensic evidence revealed the dead head was alive when he was stuffed into the trunk and that he bled to death there. After leaving the body where it lay for several days, the pair hatched a disposal plan. Dave was taken to a vacant home where he was cut to pieces using an electric saw. The body parts were then shoved into black trash bags and placed back in the trunk. The killers then drove to another property where they used a wheelbarrow to carry the bags to a shallow grave.
Thursday morning a jury in Olympia convicted both men of murder. Friends of the deceased hope that before sentencing is imposed the two will tell them where to find Dave's missing left arm and head.
For a while Dave designed and sold t-shirts at concerts. That is how he and lead guitarist, Jerry Garcia, became friends. It was Jerry who invited Dave to accompany the group when they played in front of the pyramids in Egypt. Dave even carried a pebble he had picked up there in his pocket.
About a week after the fair, a dismembered body was found and a week after that it was identified as most of David George. Police got several breaks in the case and soon arrested two men, Mert Celebisoy, 21, and Joseph D'Allesandro, 19. As often happens, the accused quickly turned on one another. Both agreed, though, that the death was the result of an argument over drugs. Each claimed to be driving a car when the other stabbed Dave, who was sitting in the passenger seat, five times with a hunting knife.
Forensic evidence revealed the dead head was alive when he was stuffed into the trunk and that he bled to death there. After leaving the body where it lay for several days, the pair hatched a disposal plan. Dave was taken to a vacant home where he was cut to pieces using an electric saw. The body parts were then shoved into black trash bags and placed back in the trunk. The killers then drove to another property where they used a wheelbarrow to carry the bags to a shallow grave.
Thursday morning a jury in Olympia convicted both men of murder. Friends of the deceased hope that before sentencing is imposed the two will tell them where to find Dave's missing left arm and head.
