Margaret T. Ahern was an American cartoonist, best known for drawing 'Beano' and 'An Altar Boy named Speck'. She was born in New York City, and moved to Chicago at age 7. She studied at several of Chicago's art institutes, and became editorial cartoonist with the city's New World Newspaper in the early 1940s. It was for The Waifs' Messenger, the monthly newsletter for the Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago, that she created her longest running feature. The clever orphan 'Beano' made its first appearance in 1948, and continued to appear until Ahern's death in 1999.
She made the monthly strip 'Angelo' from 1951 until 1954, when she was hired to take over 'Speck the Altar Boy' from its creator Tut Le Blanc. She continued to work on this syndicated cartoon panel until 1979. Other creations by Ahern were 'Little Reggie' and 'Our Parish', that she made under the pseudonym Peg O'Connell (1973-79). Several book collections of her work have appeared, and she also contributed to magazines like National Review and New Woman.
