Richard Towne Sutcliffe (April 18, 1918 – May 11, 2008) was an American

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video gam ...

and one of the creators of the 1960s stop motion religious animated series, '' Davey and Goliath''. Town was born on April 18, 1918, in Columbia, Pennsylvania. However, he grew up in Taneytown, Maryland. His father, Rev. Alfred Towne Sutcliffe, was a Lutheran

minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

. He began his career as a journalist and photographer in Roanoke, Virginia. Sutcliffe developed ''Davey and Goliath'' with '' Gumby'' creators Art Clokey and Ruth Clokey Goodell. The show was aimed spreading simple religious messages and

moral A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A ...

s to young television viewers, while not confusing them with complicated concepts. Dick Sutcliffe died in Dallas, Texas, from complications of a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

at the age of 90 on May 11, 2008.

References

1918 births 2008 deaths Animators from Pennsylvania People from Columbia, Pennsylvania Stop motion animators People from Taneytown, Maryland {{US-animator-stub