George Woodbridge, a cartoonist and illustrator whose works graced the pages of Mad Magazine back in the humor magazine's heyday, died this week at the age of 73.  A major student of history who created and illustrated notable books on the uniforms and equipment of American soldiers, Woodbridge brought his superb graphic technique to bear on numerous projects for Mad Magazine.  His knowledge of historical styles of illustrations and a penchant for caricature also informed his work for Mad.  Woodbridge illustrated one of the most famous Mad pieces of all time in 1965 when he collaborated with writer Tom Koch on '43-Man Squamish,' an illustrated guide to an absurd field game played with ridiculous implements and hilariously convoluted rules.

Born in 1930,Woodbridge was a native New Yorker.  He attended the School of Visual Arts with a number of superbly talented young artists including Al Williamson, Angelo Torres, and Frank Frazetta.  All four young artists went to work for E.C. Comics where Harvey Kurtzman dubbed them the 'Fleagle Gang.'