Editing Rodger Bumpass (section)

==Early life==
Rodger Bumpass was born on November 20, 1951, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Carroll C. (1924–2009) and Virginia Cathey Bumpass (1921–2004).<ref>{{cite web |title=Carroll Bumpass - Obituary - Smith Family Funeral Homes |url=https://www.smithfamilycares.com/obituaries/carroll-bumpass |website=www.smithfamilycares.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/virginia-bumpass-obituary?pid=2981327 | title=Virginia Bumpass Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information | website=[[Legacy.com]] | date=December 30, 2004 }}</ref><ref name="EAHC" /> He had two siblings, one of whom was stillborn. His parents ran a dry cleaning business. He described his mother as “the life of the family” and his father “a typical Southern male with Southern male disgust“ but added that he was loving and giving.<ref name="EAHC"/> As a child, Bumpass idolized [[Mel Blanc]] and would do impressions of [[Looney Tunes]] characters as well as other cartoon characters. He memorized the comedy albums of [[Jonathan Winters]] and [[Bill Cosby]] and was inspired by [[Tim Conway]]’s physical comedy.<ref name="w747">{{cite web | last=Reardon | first=Samantha | title=Rodger Bumpass is Squidward Tentacles | website=The Signal | date=2013-09-08 | url=https://georgiastatesignal.com/rodger-bumpass-is-squidward-tentacles/ | access-date=2024-10-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2018/oct/21/rodger-dale-bumpass/ | title=HIGH PROFILE: Rodger Bumpass, Little Rock native who voices Squidward on 'SpongeBob SquarePants' &#124; Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | date=October 21, 2018 }}</ref> 

Bumpass attended [[Little Rock Central High School]], where he received his first training in theater. He then majored in radio–TV and minored in theater at [[Arkansas State University]]. He worked at the campus radio station and also at [[Jonesboro, Arkansas|Jonesboro]]'s [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliated television station, [[KAIT|KAIT-TV]], where he had multiple duties as announcer, film processor, cameraman, audio technician, and technical director.<ref name="EAHC">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=4473|title=Rodger Bumpass (1951–)|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture|The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture]]|access-date=June 21, 2009}}</ref> While at KAIT, Bumpass also wrote, produced, and performed in a late-night comedy program called ''Mid-Century Nonsense Festival Featuring Kumquat Theater''.<ref name="KAIT">{{cite news|url=http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=5335667|title=Reports of Death of Squidward's "Voice" Premature|date=August 28, 2006|publisher=[[KAIT]]|access-date=June 21, 2009}}</ref>  He graduated from A-State in 1976, and when encouraged by an A-State professor to consider professional theater, he moved to [[New York City, New York|New York]] in June 1977.<ref name="EAHC"/>