James Robert Davis was born in Marion on July 28, 1945, and grew up on a small farm near Fairmount. Serious childhood asthma kept him indoors and away from regular farm chores, leading him to spend hours sketching, doodling, and observing others, experiences that later developed into creations and characters expressing irony and humor for millions of people. He studied art and business at Ball State University, then worked in advertising before becoming the American cartoonist who created the Garfield franchise. In 1981, Jim Davis opened his production company, Paws Inc., and remained in Indiana to build a creative house supporting Garfield licensing. Paws' staff of artists, writers, designers, sculptors, animators, and A/V engineers supports the creativity behind Garfield products, promotions, and entertainment venues. Davis's successes with Garfield include four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program, induction into the Licensing Hall of Fame, National Cartoonist Society awards for Best Humor Strip in 1981 and 1985, the Elzie Segar Award in 1990, and the Reuben Award for overall excellence in cartooning. Paws Inc. does business in 111 countries, Garfield is read in 2570 newspapers by 263 million readers around the globe, and Guinness World Records named Garfield "The Most Widely Syndicated Comic Strip in the World."