User:Richardstetelman

Author, cartoonist, designer Rick London is the designer of Mariel Hemingway Healthy Gifts. He also founded Google's #1 ranked offbeat cartoon Londons Times and the world's only “famous love quote shoes. He was/and is the first cartoonist to “go green” in merchandising; devoting one of his entire stores using only 100% organic cotton tees. He owns numerous other e-gift stores featuring his cartoon images.

Born in the rural south in 1954, London was not “destined” to work in the arts. He was raised in an upper-middle class rural-Mississippi 2nd generation family. He is the middle of two children, born the oldest male, and was groomed to take over the business for which he was not suited (real estate) due to his love of the arts and letters.

London spearheaded was a founding member of the grass roots groups "Citizens For Elizebeth Taylor To Receive The Preidential Medial Of Freedom".

London created the world's first “gourmet cartoon coffee gift basket” which features four blends and flavors of coffees worldwide and a cartoon mug and matching coasters in each basket.

He also invented “Pet Presidents” puppets of U.S. Presidents but the product was never manufactured even though London was able to obtain a design patent. Actor Eddie Murphy used the “Reagan prototype” in his very first “Mr. Robinson's neighborhood” skit on Saturday Night Live.

London founded Scandal Tours in the late 1980's which was a theatrical/musical real bus tour of Washington in 1988. The Wall Street Journal called it “Theater On A Bus” in a front page above-the-fold headline article.

London is a direct maternal descendant of the Luis Gomez family, which gave us Poetess Emma Lazarus (The New Colossus: End of sonnet on Statue Of Liberty) and Supreme Court Judge Benjamin Cardozo. In 2009 London was adopted by former model/author/entrepreneur Kathy Ireland adopted London as her brother.

London is also a freelance magazine writer and writes for such publications as Ezinearticles, Helium, and other major online firms.

He is engaged to his business partner and co-founder of a professional SEO firm PenAndInkInc, Lee Hiller of Portland Oregon, who is also the love advice columnist for Herald de Paris. Hiller and London make their homes in both Oregon and in the Ouichata Mountains of Arkansas.

After a major heart attack in 2001, London returned to college at Western Governor's University to study Business and how it works on the Internet and much of his focus was on social networking.

He is an avid animal-lover and has adopted and rescued dogs and cats most of his life. He gives a percentage of all sales to animal, children, and environmental causes.

--Lee Hiller 21:54, 17 July 2009 (UTC)

References:

Mariel Hemingway Healthy Gifts.

Londons Times

gourmet cartoon coffee gift basket

Luis Gomez family

Ezinearticles

PenAndInkInc