Rudy Wendelin

Rudolph Andreas Michael Wendelin (1910–2000) was a United States Forest Service employee and the best-known artist behind Smokey Bear.

Beginning in 1944, Wendelin became the full-time artist for the Smokey Bear campaign.

[1] Wendelin received the Medal of Honor from the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1998 for his work on the Smokey Bear campaign.

Wendelin was seriously injured in a car accident on August 18, 2000, when a car driven by his daughter lost control and collided with a truck and a highway divider.

He died as a result of those injuries in a nursing home in Falls Church, Virginia on August 31, 2000.