Doug Marlette facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Doug Marlette |
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| Born | Douglas Nigel Marlette December 6, 1949 Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | July 10, 2007 (aged 57) Marshall County, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Area(s) | cartoonist |
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Notable works
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Editorial cartoons, Kudzu |
Douglas Nigel Marlette (December 6, 1949 – July 10, 2007) was a famous American cartoonist. He won a special award called the Pulitzer Prize for his political cartoons. Doug Marlette also wrote two novels. He was known for his popular comic strip called Kudzu. This comic strip was so popular that it was even turned into a musical play!
Doug Marlette was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. He grew up in different places like Durham, North Carolina, Laurel, Mississippi, and Sanford, Florida.
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Doug Marlette's Cartooning Journey
Doug Marlette started drawing cartoons when he was a student. He worked on his college newspaper at Seminole Community College. Later, at Florida State University, he drew political cartoons for their newspaper, The Florida Flambeau. This was from 1969 to 1971. He even drew the cover for the university's yearbook in 1970-71.
Doug worked as a cartoonist for several big newspapers. These included The Charlotte Observer (1972–1987) and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1987–89). He won his Pulitzer Prize in 1988 while working for the Atlanta paper. He also drew for New York Newsday (1989–2002), The Tallahassee Democrat (2002–06), and The Tulsa World (2006–07).
Kudzu: A Popular Comic Strip
Doug Marlette created and drew the comic strip Kudzu. This comic strip was shared with newspapers all over the world. It first appeared on June 15, 1981.
Doug also worked with musicians Bland Simpson and Jack Herrick. Together, they turned the Kudzu comic strip into a musical comedy. It was called Kudzu, A Southern Musical.
His cartoons and writings were featured in well-known magazines. These included Time and Newsweek. His work also appeared in major newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Doug Marlette received many important awards for his cartooning. In 1981, he was the first cartoonist to get a Nieman Fellowship. This is a special program for journalists.
He won almost every major award for his political cartoons. This included the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. He also won the National Headliner Award three times. This award is for consistently great political cartoons. He also won the John Fischetti Memorial Cartoon Competition twice. In 1997, he won his second Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award.
After Doug Marlette passed away, the Governor of North Carolina, Michael F. Easley, honored him. He was given membership in the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. This is the highest award a civilian can receive from North Carolina's governor.
Books by Doug Marlette
Many of his Kudzu comic strips and political cartoons were put into books. There are 19 collections in total. Some titles include Faux Bubba: Bill and Hillary Go to Washington and Gone with the Kudzu.
In 1991, he wrote a book called In Your Face: A Cartoonist at Work. In this book, he shared his own experiences about how he created cartoons.
Doug Marlette also wrote two novels. His first novel, The Bridge, came out in 2001. It won the 2002 SIBA Book Award for Best Book of the Year in Fiction. This award is given by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance.
His second novel, Magic Time, was published in 2006. This book also received good reviews. It was even praised in The New York Times Book Review.
Academic Life and Teaching
Doug Marlette shared his knowledge with students. He was a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This was during the 2001–2002 school year. In 2002, he was added to the UNC Journalism Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was a special guest lecturer at the University of Oklahoma.
Doug Marlette's Family Life
Doug Marlette and his wife, Melinda Hartley Marlette, lived in two different places. They spent time in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Hillsborough, North Carolina. Their son, Jackson, studied art in France. Doug also had a brother, Chris, and a sister, Marianne. His nephew, Andy Marlette, is also a cartoonist and writer.
Doug Marlette was very close friends with the famous author Pat Conroy. They talked every day.
Doug Marlette's Passing
Doug Marlette died on July 10, 2007, in Marshall County, Mississippi. He was a passenger in a truck during heavy rain. The truck slid on the wet road and hit a tree. Doug died instantly.
He was traveling to Oxford, Mississippi. He wanted to help students at Oxford High School get ready. They were going to perform Kudzu, A Southern Musical at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Doug's death happened less than a week after he spoke at his father's funeral. He was buried near Hillsborough, North Carolina. Many people attended his funeral, including his close friend Pat Conroy.
