William "Tex" Henson, who supervised animation on ROCKY & BULLWINKLE and was a force behind the popularity of CHIP 'N DALE, died Monday, December 2, 2002 of head injuries after being hit by a pickup truck in Dallas, Texas. He was 78 years old. Born in Dallas, Henson moved to California to join Disney Studios in 1944, where he was an animator on films such as SONG OF THE SOUTH, PECOS BILL and PETER AND THE WOLF. He was also one of the forces behind Chip & Dale's leap from bit players to outright stars. The chipmunk duo went on to star in 23 theatrical cartoons. After leaving Disney, Henson worked on CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST in New York before going to Mexico, where he supervised animators working on THE BULLWINKLE SHOW and UNDERDOG. Henson eventually returned to Dallas, where he taught animation in area schools.
