In Memory of the ‘Kudzu’ King …
As most of you know by now, Pulitzer Prize winner Doug Marlette, whose colorful editorial cartoons graced the editorial pages of the Charlotte Observer from 1972 to 1987, died in a tragic single-vehicle accident in Mississippi on July 10 — just days after delivering his father’s eulogy here in Charlotte on July 6. The police report said the truck in which he was riding apparently had hydroplaned and hit a tree. He had been in the area lending a hand to students at Oxford High School (Marshall County, Miss.) who were planning to perform Kudzu, A Southern Musical.
Although he was considered controversial editorially, Marlette often gave way to homespun humor in his daily comic strip, Kudzu. To the Eagle — who, admittedly, felt a bit of occupational envy (as it was the start of my career in journalism) — the man was a Southern gentleman wrapped around a little boy’s imagination and dressed in businessman’s clothes.
As I said, he was controversial … some have considered Doug as the ’80s version of Garry Trudeau … but he was always ready with a warm smile and handshake for everyone who met him. His abilities as cartoonist and writer led to many well-deserved awards. Here, quoting from Wikipedia™:
“He won every major award for editorial cartooning, including the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, the National Headliner Award for Consistently Outstanding Editorial Cartoons (three times), the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Award for editorial cartooning (twice), and First Prize in the John Fischetti Memorial Cartoon Competition (twice). In 1981, he became the first and (as of 2007) the only cartoonist ever awarded a Nieman Fellowship.”
We were proud of our “native son” (although he originally hailed from Greensboro), and his work. Not only was he a cartoonist but a novelist, having published The Bridge in 2001 and Magic Time in 2006. He was working on a lengthy novel at the time of his death.
To his wife, Melinda, and son, Jackson: the Eagle, this blog, and thousands of shocked and saddened Charlotteans send our condolences and heartfelt prayers …
Rest in peace, Kudzu-Man …
Leave a Reply