Bill Gallo Passes, Hall of Fame Flies Flag At Half Staff

HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR CARTOONIST / JOURNALIST BILL GALLO

CANASTOTA, NY – MAY 11, 2011 – The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced its flags will fly at half-staff in memory of cartoonist / journalist Bill Gallo. He passed away last evening. He was 88.

Born in Manhattan on December 28, 1922. After graduating from Benjamin Franklin High School in 1941, Gallo took a job at the New York Daily News as a copyboy. Service in World War II interrupted his on-the-job training and Gallo joined the Marines in 1942. Gallo saw combat at four major battles in the Pacific Theater, including Iwo Jima. After the war, he returned to the Daily News as an apprentice in the art department. Gallo became sports cartoonist at the Daily News in 1960 and his cartoons and columns have entertained and informed millions of readers ever since. With his innate ability to translate the drama and glory of sport through art, Gallo was one of the most respected journalists. Gallo was awarded the James J. Walker Award for “Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing” and A.J. Liebling Award for “Outstanding Boxing Writing” by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

“Bill Gallo is synonymous with the New York Daily News. His cartoons and columns were must reads for boxing fans for many, many years,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Edward Brophy. “The Hall of Fame joins the boxing world in mourning the loss of a great friend to the sport.”

In 2001, Gallo was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.