Rick Geary, mostly known in the Reader for his illustration of the Straight from the Hip column by Matthew Alice, began drawing for the paper in the mid-1970s. See his early cover illustrations:
November 6, 1975 The State of the Union (and the Evening Tribune)
Jan. 8, 1976 1975 - Up for Grabs
Feb. 5, 1976 A Farewell to Farms
Feb. 19, 1976 Home Home on the Boat
April 8, 1976 The Amazing San Diego Atomic Put-Put Rocket
May 27, 1976 Knights in the Park (see waterbed ad on back page - illustrated by Geary)
July 27, 1976 Paper Chase
March 24, 1977 Hot Dogs
To see these illustrations clearly - or read the text- from these pre-2000 archives, be sure to save the pdf on your desktop.