Personal Life
Kurtzman stood 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) and was of slight build. He had an unassuming demeanor which was described by humorist Roger Price as "like a beagle who is too polite to mention that someone is standing on his tail". He was described by writer Rolf Malcolm as someone who smiles little and speaks slowly. Al Jaffee said he "was not an easy person to get too close to".
Kurtzman and wife Adele (née Hasan) were married in September 1948. They had three daughters and one son: Meredith, born 1949; Peter, born 1954; Elizabeth, born 1957; and Nellie, born 1969. Kurtzman's line of work allowed him to be at home around his children during the day, and gave them much of his attention. As their son autism, Kurtzman and Adele volunteered locally for work with special needs children, and in 1986 began an annual charity auction, raising money by selling the artwork of name cartoonists for the Association for Mentally Ill Children of Westchester, which Adele continues to oversee.
Read more about this topic: Harvey Kurtzman
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