You Were A Good Man, Charles Schulz! – Brief Article
Steven C. Pettinga
Before the Peanuts gang appeared in your newspaper, they originally appeared in the Post.
Charles Schulz, creator of the much-beloved comic strip Peanuts, died February 12, 2000, one day before his final cartoon strip was to appear. In tribute to his great talent, we are presenting some of his first nationally published cartoons, which were published in the Post 52 years ago.
In a recent “60 Minutes” interview, Schulz was asked how he thought of himself, since he seemed to be equal parts philosopher, writer, and artist. Schulz responded that he “liked being a cartoonist” because it encompassed all three roles, but it included a healthy dose of humor, too.
Ironically, much of Schulz’s humor was actually a creative way of coping with his own lifelong depression. He turned his fears into inspiration for the strip’s dysfunctional characters as a means of self-analysis. He also used his rigorous production schedules to keep himself busy, particularly when he was depressed–which, it seems, he was most of the time.
Yet, Schulz triumphed at life because he persevered to be good. He will be remembered because he and his characters were real and fallible, yet genuine and steadfast. We like absolute truths in our lives, and Charles Schulz gave us a few every time we entered his world.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Saturday Evening Post Society
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
