Sometimes a fellow cyclist will motor her around perched on it. They all want a sketch and an autograph because people collect these things.
People collect anything.
In June, Starr will be 57 years old, but thanks to the disparity of cartoon years vs. human years, she looks little older than she did when she tumbled full-grown from Messick's imagination. Likewise, her spry and delightful creator appears only a fraction of her 92 years. In her characteristic deadpan, Messick downplays her accomplishment. The only remarkable thing that I think I did was that I was married twice, divorced twice, had a horrible automobile accident that almost killed me, had a baby, and in 43 years never missed a deadline. A Hoosier born in South Bend, Ind., just days before San Francisco's 1906 earthquake, cartoonist Messick has resided in Sonoma County near her daughter and granddaughter since the death of her husband several years ago.