born in detroit, dumas started drawing cartoons when he was nine years old. in 1954, after serving in the air force and earning a degree in english from arizona state university, he worked with cartoonist walt ditzen in phoenix and contributed drawings to the "state press". in 1956 he moved to greenwich, connecticut to work for mort walker as a gag writer and illustrator on the comic strips ("hi and lois" and "beetle bailey").