TERRE HAUTE — A nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist talked to students at Honey Creek Middle School on Tuesday about his job, dealing with rejection and the benefits of working hard.
Gary Varvel, whose syndicated editorial cartoons appear in the Tribune-Star, Indianapolis Star and close to 60 other newspapers, entertained the students with samples of his work and a caricature of one of their teachers, math instructor Jeff Thompson.
“This is my dream job,” Varvel said about drawing a daily cartoon for the Star’s editorial page.
At least one student at Honey Creek, Tifani Campbell, showed Varvel one of her own cartoons and said she wants to be a cartoonist when she gets older. “You’re on your way, girl,” Varvel told the Honey Creek seventh-grader after his presentation. “Keep working.”
Varvel’s visit to Honey Creek was part of the school’s Writers Fair. As part of the fair, many students have written their own books or written about famous artists.
Varvel showed kids examples of some of his published cartoons, including a recent one showing an enchanted Sen. Evan Bayh coyly saying to Sen. Hillary Clinton, “So I understand you’re [in Indiana] to talk about jobs.”
Another cartoon showed a baseball-playing Charlie Brown screaming “Good grief!” at an obviously steroid-enhanced Snoopy.
Varvel also showed the students his post-Sept. 11 cartoon depicting Uncle Sam holding the body of a firefighter. That cartoon was made into a poster and helped raised $100,000 for New York relief efforts after the Sept. 11 attacks, Varvel said.
“Editorial cartoons are not always funny,” Varvel told close to 250 Honey Creek students, the third group he had spoken to Tuesday. “Sometimes you get people who don’t like you very much. That’s part of the job.” He showed the kids a postcard from a woman who wrote, “Gary, I hope you die a long and painful death.”
Making it as an editorial cartoonist or having a cartoon strip is difficult, Varvel said. There are only 80 editorial cartoonists in America today – far fewer than the 350 NBA basketball players in the country, he said.
Still, Varvel encouraged the students to work hard for their dreams and not be discouraged by rejection. “Don’t let [rejection] make you a failure,” he said. “I got rejected over and over and over again.”
“Calvin and Hobbs,” one of the most popular comic strips of the 1980s and 1990s, was rejected by United Features Syndicate before being snapped up by Universal Press, Varvel noted.
Also as part of the Writers Fair, students displayed books they had written. Some of the books by Honey Creek students included “Pig French,” by Kaylin Jarvis, “Friendship Poems” by Sarah Al-Muairi and “Beauty Within” by Allison Pell.
“It’s tough” to make it as a professional cartoonist, Varvel told the kids. But working hard, including working hard in school, will pay off, he said. “The cream always rises to the top. It can happen.”
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Syndicated cartoonist Gary Varvel entertains Honey Creek students with samples of his work
There are only 80 editorial cartoonists in country today
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Patriotism & Honor
From his vantage point, Sonner Faught could see almost every volunteer in the cemetery.
-
Graduation turns to mourning in Clinton
Jeana Lunsford’s graduation from South Vermillion High School Saturday should have been a time of celebration.
-
School choice proponents foresee growth of vouchers
Twenty-seven Vigo County students benefited from tax-supported vouchers during the first year of the Choice Scholarship Program, and that number is expected to grow for 2012-13, say Indiana school choice leaders who visited Terre Haute Thursday.
-
Tales of obstruction meet first takeover attempts
A decade after Indiana legislators gave the state the power to take over chronically failing schools, the first implementation of the law is meeting with resistance, skepticism and questions about its costs.
-
THE OFF SEASON: Raising a flag for my father, veteran or not
My daughter, Ellen, and I stood at my parents’ graves on Mother’s Day a few weeks back and talked about how it couldn’t possibly have been so long since we lost them. My dad, for instance, has been gone for 16 years, and that is nearly unimaginable
-
3 rescued from burning residence
Quick action on the part of some first-responders is credited with saving the lives of three people in a Vermillion County fire early Saturday morning, according to the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Department.
-
He never forgot a name: Friends remember victim of fire at Garfield Towers
When Freddie Poore met you, he never forgot you.
-
Hometown boy embraces ‘Promise I Made’: Clinton native Ken Kercheval takes role in Dreams Come True production
Thanks to some help from a hometown boy in Hollywood, “This Promise I Made” is still on track to be kept in Clinton.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Many say they don’t vote in primary because of tag that comes with it
A couple of columns ago, I posed a question about why most Indiana polling places on primary election day had so few customers.
-
Police looking for convenience store robber
Police are seeking a robbery suspect following a Saturday morning armed robbery at the Jiffy MiniMart at 25th Street and Eighth Avenue.
-
Graduation ‘responsibility’: Rose-Hulman stages 134th commencement exercises
Inventor Dean Kamen gave a first-hand demonstration Saturday of how to be an innovator.
-
THE OFF SEASON: To the seniors, one last lecture before you go …
It dawned on me one day last week, as I sat at my desk in my teacher clothes and shoes, a stack of ungraded essays calling to me from a rather tall and depressing pile, that I hadn’t missed a high school graduation in 33 years.
-
Water rescuers
Emergency personnel wheel a man who was removed from a vehicle that had been driven into the water at Crystal Lake on Boston Avenue near 14th Street at about 9 p.m. Friday.
-
For many, camping outdoors is the way to beat the heat, enjoy nature
Stringing up fishing poles in the shade of American flags, households full of Hoosiers are packing into parks across the state this weekend.
-
Towns along National Road readying for next week’s miles-long yard sale
Stretching 824 miles from Baltimore to St. Louis, the National Road — known as U.S. 40 through Indiana — will soon be the host site for perhaps the longest bargain market in the country.
-
Rose grads honoring late president Branam at commencement today
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Class of 2012 will honor the memory of Matt Branam during today’s commencement ceremony by wearing special pins with the phrase “Make It Happen; Make It Fun,” a favorite saying of the former Rose-Hulman president, who died unexpectedly on April 20.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 26, 2012
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers but are not final until the Vigo County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
-
A fallen soldier returns home
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Arronn D. Fields early Thursday morning at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
-
Official touts trade with northern neighbor
A top Canadian diplomat told a Terre Haute audience Thursday his country was “disappointed” when President Obama at least temporarily rejected a proposed transcontinental oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas.
-
Caution urged for summer’s kickoff
Lane restrictions in construction zones on Interstate 70 and other highways around the state will be lifted to accommodate holiday travel for the Memorial Day Weekend.
-
Letters delivered
Several positions will be eliminated this summer at the Terre Haute mail processing facility as the U.S. Postal Service begins moving the operation to Indianapolis, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman has confirmed.
-
Companies seek Vigo tax abatements
Two Vigo County companies are seeking tax abatements for expansion projects, one of which is included as part of a county incentive package.
-
High-speed chase suspect caught in West Virginia
The suspect in a cross-country, high-speed chase originating in Terre Haute last week was reportedly in federal custody Thursday evening.
-
Second victim of deadly I-70 semi-trailer crash identified
The Vigo County Coroner’s Office has identified the passenger of a semi-tractor crash on May 16 in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the 12-mile marker.
- VIGO COUNTY JAIL LOG: May 22-24, 2012
-
Burn ban in effect for Vigo County through holiday weekend
Vigo County officials have issued a burn ban effective Thursday and remains in effect until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
-
Brazil remembers a Fallen Son
A small town seemed sadly quiet Wednesday, waiting to honor a local fallen warrior.
-
ISU OKs four-year degree guarantee
Indiana State University has announced a four-year “graduation guarantee” for students enrolling this fall and beyond.
-
Dems tout good side of compromise
Indiana Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, chosen to run as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate John Gregg, said during a stop Wednesday in Terre Haute that bipartisan experience is a key factor in creating jobs and legislation to help Hoosiers statewide.
-
Motorcyclist dies, motorist charged after accident
A Terre Haute man has died of injuries he sustained in a two-motorcycle, one-car crash that also injured another motorcyclist late Tuesday. The incident has led to the arrest of the car’s driver.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-




