Morrie Turner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Morrie Turner |
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Turner in 2005
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| Born | Morris Nolton Turner December 11, 1923 Oakland, California |
| Died | January 25, 2014 (aged 90) Sacramento, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist |
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Notable works
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Wee Pals |
| Awards | full list |
Morris Nolton Turner (December 11, 1923 – January 25, 2014) was a famous African American cartoonist. He is best known for creating Wee Pals, a comic strip that was the first in the U.S. to show many different races and cultures. Turner used his comics to talk about important topics like racism, sexism, and rights for people with disabilities. He helped break down big barriers in the world of comics.
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Early Life and Career Beginnings
Morris Turner grew up in Oakland, California. He was the youngest child in his family. His father worked for trains, and his mother was a homemaker and nurse.
Turner went to school in Oakland and Berkeley. He started drawing when he was 10 years old. By the time he was 14, he knew he wanted to be a professional cartoonist. He even took a special course by mail to learn more about cartooning.
Serving His Country
During World War II, Turner served as a mechanic. He worked with the famous Tuskegee Airmen. While he was serving, his drawings were printed in the newspaper Stars and Stripes.
After the war, Turner worked for the Oakland Police Department. During this time, he created his first comic strip called Baker's Helper.
Creating Wee Pals
Morris Turner noticed that there were no minority characters in cartoons. He wondered why. His friend and mentor, Charles M. Schulz, who created Peanuts, suggested that Turner should create a comic strip with diverse characters.
Turner's first idea was a comic strip called Dinky Fellas. It had only Black characters. But only one newspaper, Chicago Defender, published it.
A Groundbreaking Comic Strip
Turner then decided to include characters of different races in his comic strip. He renamed it Wee Pals. In 1965, Wee Pals became the first American comic strip to be shown all over the country with a cast of diverse characters.
At first, only five newspapers published Wee Pals. But after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968, more than 100 newspapers started to carry the comic strip. This showed how important its message was.
As time went on, Turner added even more characters from different backgrounds. He also added a child with a physical disability. Wee Pals was so popular that it became a children's TV show called Kid Power and even a musical play.
Morrie Turner's Personal Life
Morris Turner married Letha Mae Harvey on April 6, 1946. They had one son, Morrie Jr. Letha passed away in 1994. Later in his life, Karol Trachtenburg was his companion. Morrie Turner passed away on January 25, 2014, when he was 90 years old.
Awards and Recognition
Morrie Turner received many awards and honors throughout his career. These awards recognized his important work and how he helped communities.
Major Cartooning Awards
In 2003, the National Cartoonists Society gave Turner the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award. This award honored all his work, especially Wee Pals.
The Cartoon Art Museum gave Turner the Sparky Award in 2000. This award is named after Charles M. Schulz, who was also known as "Sparky."
Turner was also honored several times at the San Diego Comic-Con. In 1981, he received an Inkpot Award. In 2012, he was given the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award.
Community Honors
Turner received the Brotherhood Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He also got the Inter-Group Relations Award from the Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith. In 1971, he received the Alameda County (California) Education Association Layman's Annual Award.
Interesting Facts About Morrie Turner
- Turner worked with his wife, Letha, on a part of the comic strip called Soul Corner. This section highlighted important African American figures.
- During the Vietnam War, Turner and five other cartoonists traveled to South Vietnam. They spent a month drawing more than 3,000 pictures of service members.
- In 1967, the cartoonist Bil Keane created a character named Morrie in his comic strip Family Circus. This character was based on Morrie Turner!
