RIP Doug Marlette

Tulsa World editorial cartoonist Doug Marlette died in a single-car accident this morning in Holly Springs, Miss.

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070710/NEWS/70710020

 

That's unfortunate. He was one of my favorite editorial cartoonists. My granddad used to have a signed copy of a compilation book of his cartoons from when he was at Charlotte in the mid 1980's.

 

Nooo.. damn... he was good...

 

He taught at my school for a year, and I took a writing class with him. He was good friends with Pat Conroy, who at that time was about to publish My Losing Season. He had Conroy come in one night and teach our class, which ran for three hours every Monday night. Me being from South Carolina, that was a big deal. We had a really great time that night. Something I'll always remember.

 

From the Tulsa paper. He'd buried his father on Friday. Damn. RIP.

http://tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070710_1__MEMPH35828&breadcrumb=Breaking%20News

 

Loved his editorial cartoons and, in a nod to the Southern thread, absolutely adored "Kudzu."

 

He also had a novel that wasn't half bad, although I can't remember the name of it. The Bridge, maybe?

 

Took no prisoners, with his editorial pen.

Did beautiful work. Drew with a light touch.

Will be sorely missed.

 

But I will say this: no offense to the dearly departed, but Kudzu sucked so much ass. Rarely funny. Shoulda stuck with the ed cartoons.

 

Was he from SC?

 

Conroy is from SC, and if you were into literature and writing as a kid there, you grew up hearing all about him (especially from Citadel grads who hated hated hated The Lords of Discipline). They were best friends, and their back-and-forth during the class was personal and funny and most memorable. I had a hell of semester that year, and I really looked forward to getting that three-hour respite every week in Doug's humor writing class. It was a lot of fun, and Doug was a good guy with some really great stories.

 

You can't live in SC without knowing Conroy lived here. ... Was Marlette from here?