Lee Judah Ames (January 8, 1921[1][2][3] – June 3, 2011) was an American artist noted for his Draw 50... learn-to-draw books.
[4] He was a founding member of the Berndt Toast Gang, the Long Island Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society.
This is Lee's reminiscence of how the Berndt Toast Gang got its name: "When Creig Flessel, Bill Lignante, Frank Springer, Al Micale, and I got together to work for Hanna Barbera in the 1960s, we decided to have a lunch at Finnegan’s Bar the last Thursday of every month.
On one such, my big mouth opened and uttered, “Fellas, it’s time for the Berndt toast!” I wasn’t trying to be cute at the time, but I’m not displeased that it stuck and we became the Berndt Toast Gang, one of the largest branches of the National Cartoonists Society."
He and his wife Jocelyn resided for many years in Mission Viejo, California before returning to Long Island, NY.