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Ed Pranger (1912-2012) was born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon, during the Depression. Pranger worked as a wood cutter, cannery worker, sign painter, navy cartoonist, and commercial artist.
Even as a child, Pranger was a gifted artist. As a young man, Ed and most of his family moved to Yakima, to work in the canneries. His artistic talent led him to work in a sign shop, painting signs on trucks, buildings and billboards. When the owner retired, he and his friend, Carl Fenner, bought the sign shop.
Pranger joined the Navy in 1942, and spent 4 years in the service during WWII. He was stationed in San Diego, working for the Recruit Training Command. He was a Navy artist and cartoonist, receiving Letters of Commendation for his work on bulletins, operations charts, training and propaganda posters, and illustrations. His cartoons were published in The Hoist, Wing Tips, and civilian newspapers. They were copied by other publications, sometimes used in official Navy training publications, and were applauded for "maintaining the morale of all hands at a high level".
After the war, Pranger returned to Yakima, and re-opened the Fenner and Pranger sign shop, branching out into drawing advertising for early television.
The family lived in Yakima until moving to Los Gatos, California in 1956. Ed opened a commercial art and silk screen printing business in San Jose, spending the rest of his life in the area.