Congratulations to Lynn!
At the annual Reuben Awards (the Oscars for cartoonists) in Philadelphia this year, Lynn was honoured by the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) with a lifetime achievement award. This is a huge honour for Lynn. Here is what she had to say about it:
On Saturday May 26th, I received a wonderful and surprising gift. I’ll call it a gift because as I stood before a banquet hall filled with artists I admire, I felt overwhelmed and unsure; the way you do at a surprise party. The National Cartoonist Society Medal of Honor has only been given to 5 other cartoonists: Al Jaffee, Arnold Roth, Mort Walker,Mell Lazarus and Mort Drucker — all heroes; all men! That it has been given to me is truly hard to believe.
The Medal of Honor is given to someone who has already won the Reuben. It’s a lifetime achievement award, and although it is a great honour, I’m not ready! The small polished wooden box that contains this Olympic sized medal sits on my bookshelf and challenges me to work harder—I don’t feel as though I have achieved a lifetime’s worth of work! Not yet…there is still so much that I want to do!
I am grateful to everyone on the board of the NCS for giving me this beautiful gift. I will treasure it. And, I believe with all my heart that it belongs to every one of us who draws cartoons for a living. It looks like an easy job, but it certainly is not. Cartooning is a talent, a commitment and a drive. For all of us, it’s a lifetime achievement. I am grateful for this gift and this honour, and I’ll continue to work hard to deserve it. LJ
(Photos of Lynn by David Folkman)