It was an ordinary day. Reading and viewing many stories and cartoons dedicated to long-time cartoonist Charles M. Schultz who is most famous for the "Peanuts" cartoon characters that have been a part of most newspaper cartoon sections for years. Mr. Schultz recently was honored by more than 75 syndicated cartoonists who found space on their either daily or weekly cartoons to honor the creator of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and company. Quite a few cartoonists wrote notes stating that Mr. Schulz is probably the world's greatest cartoonist. They said that "After Peanuts, the cartoon world changed. He was the inspiration for many of today's cartoonists." Today there are close to 700 newspapers who participate in sharing cartoons with their readers. Participating strips range from "B.C.", "Dennis the Menace", and "Rhymes With Orange" to "Zippy the Pinhead and "Zits." Each participating artist was asked to come up with their own way to honor Mr. Schulz, who was known as "Sparky." Mr. Schultz revolutionized the comic page by adding depth and character as well as emotion. One cartoonist, Mr. John Hambrock, creator of "The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee," drew a visit from WWI pilot Snoopy in his strip and Edison asking his dad for "extra aviation fuel." The cartoonist has also decorated the family home with framed images of Charlie Brown and Lucy. People enjoyed the challenge of coming up with something to express their love and admiration for Mr. Schulz. Mr. Patrick McDonnell, a member of the board of directors of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, dreamed up the tribute and he and cartoonist Robb Armstrong made all the contacts with other cartoon syndicates. For his tribute, McDonnell repaid a kindness Schulz gave him. In a "Peanuts" strip from 1999, Schultz drew his cartoon boys and girls visiting a museum and the character "Rerun" off on the side looking up with respect at a painting of the dog Earl from "Mutts." A framed copy of that strip hangs proudly over McDonnell's drawing table: "I look at it every day and think of what a wonderful gesture that was and what a wonderful man and what a wonderful comic strip.
Great memories from the past! "Peanuts" made its debut on October 2, 1950. I was 6 years old at the time, but still remember my Dad reading the cartoon page to me and pointing out this new guy...Snoopy. Chrlie Brown and his pals eventually ran in more than 2,600 newspapers, reaching millions of readers in 75 countries. I can still remember the phrases "security blanket" and "good grief". At one time I actually thought I could be a cartoonist and make stories in the newspaper like Mr. Schulz did. Well, Mr. Schulz died in 2000. His cartoons will be forever remembered by just about anyone and everyone who ever touched a newspaper. Thanks for the Memories!! They will never be forgotten!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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