William L. Hendricks

On May 3, 1904, William L. Hendricks was born. He was a retired USMC Colonel who was instrumental in establishing the "Toys for Tots" program. In addition to his USMCR career, he spent several years in the film business, first as a documentary producer for the US Army, then as a production executive at Warner Bros. He finally became the last producer of the Looney Tunes During the golden age of American animation, one o >> Read More... series. Hendricks, then a Major in the USMCR, was requested by his wife Diane in 1947 to contribute some toys (including some she had created herself) to an organization that distributed gifts to underprivileged children. However, his study revealed that no such organization existed, so he decided to establish one himself. He oversaw a toy collection in the Los Angeles region with numerous family members and acquaintances, amassing over 5,000 toys. This trial initiative was so successful that the Marine Corps adopted it as an official campaign the following year. Hendricks contributed to its success by persuading numerous celebrities to fund the charity through his contacts at Warner Bros.

In 1961, he received an Academy Honorary Award for contributing to the Marine Corps documentary A Force in Readiness. Warner Bros. invited him to take over as president of their newly reconstituted animation studio and general head of the Looney Tunes property in 1967. The new animation company lasted barely two years and produced only a few famous cartoons before closing in 1969. On the other hand, Hendricks stayed in a supervisory position, supervising production on The Bugs Bunny Show and other television series incorporating Looney Tunes cartoons. He held this position until 1977 when he resigned from the film industry at 73. Hendricks died on March 29, 1992.