Dr. John Langallier honored 34 of my cartoons at a private opening last night at the Tempe Arizona Historical Society.
BBB and Dr. John Langallier at the opening of the "201 Zany Zonies" show in Tempe
We had fun with food catered by Mission Mexican food. Two surprise guests were two old flames from Kingman:
Karen Johnson Collins and Jan Prefontaine
When Dan Harshberger showed up, John Langallier quipped that Sheriff Joe does not allow more than three Kingman people to clog up an access area (It was hilarious because, of course, we four Kingman kids were all standing in a knot at the foot of a staircase, blocking access, as it were). Of course we talked quite a bit about the old days and we remembered fun times with many of our dearly departed, including this guy:
Who Wears Short Shorts? We wear short shorts: Charlie and Linda Waters, BBB and Kathy, 1984 in Lawrence, Kansas when Charlie was a visiting professor of journalism. Kathy and I and the kids (Deena was 4 and Tommy was 1) were on our way to visit all the Bells in Thompson, Iowa.
Meanwhile, my staff and I are still in shock following the news yesterday that our beloved friend and colleague, Gus Walker, has passed. He is remembered by many in the Phoenix media as well:
"So sad about Gus. He was the nicest guy who ever lived and brilliant at his work. It was so cool he got a third professional act, and a wide following, at True West. Thanks for that."
—Dave Walker
More on his long career later, but here is a typical Gus Walker map:
A Gus "The Mapinator" Map
So stylish, so clean and easy to follow. All hallmarks of the Mapinator
"I can't imagine True West without Gus. Our family is not the same without him."
—Meghan Saar