Prolific cartoonist/illustrator Roy Doty died today. The prolific cartoonist/illustrator was 92 years old. He had been in failing health the past couple of months, and had recently been admitted to an assisted living facility near his home of Dublin, Ohio.
He was a beloved cartoonist whose career was long and prolific.
Most people know Roy's work from his syndicated long-running (over 50 years) "Wordless Workshop" cartoon feature which was published in Family Handyman magazine. The first thing I did when I moved from an apartment in NYC to a house in New Hampshire was to buy a collection of his "Wordless Workshop" cartoons.
He was honored with ten awards from the National Cartoonists Society, and was at the drawing board through 2014. To quote Roy:
He was among the first cartoonists (maybe he WAS the first) to have his own TV show THE ROY DOTY SHOW on the Dumont Network in 1953.
He was honored with ten awards from the National Cartoonists Society, and was at the drawing board through 2014. To quote Roy:
"What could be nicer? I sit and draw funny pictures and people send me money."
He had many, many advertising clients, and was a busy children's book illustrator as well.
He was among the first cartoonists (maybe he WAS the first) to have his own TV show THE ROY DOTY SHOW on the Dumont Network in 1953.
Here's an episode of the Danny Dee Show from 1954:
Roy was much beloved by his peers.
My friend, and chair of the Berndt Toast Gang, Adrian Sinnott, characterized Roy today as the "cornerstone of the Great Lakes Chapter [of the NCS]."
NCS Great Lakes Chapter member and gag cartoonist Dan Collins wrote on Facebook today:
"He was like a father cartoonist figure to us. His legacy is immense and he will always be remembered with great fondness by me along with the whole NCS."
"The Pajama Diaries" cartoonist Terri Libenson:
"Everyone always comments on the imagination and intricacy. He'll be very missed."The Today's Inspiration blog site, run by the inestimable Leif Peng, held a weeklong forum on all things Doty upon the occasion of his 85th birthday in 2007:
9/4 Roy Doty Draws a Crowd
9/5 Roy Doty's Coronet Page Toppers
9/6 Roy Doty: Crowd Control
9/7 Happy Birthday Roy Doty!
Here's Roy and his entourage, after being awarded the NCS Gold Key Award in 2011:
Roy was one of what I call "that guy" illustrators and cartoonists. People may not know the name, but they know the style. When you show someone an example of Roy's work, they almost always exclaim, "Oh! That guy!"
ReplyDeleteWe're going to miss Roy. NCS business meetings will never be the same without him.
Milt Caniff had a show on an experimental TV station during the latter part of WWII, so he probably was the first cartoonist with his own program, but Roy Doty was doubtlessly a much better match for the medium.
ReplyDeleteI loved his work, and his ability to do so much with such deceptively simple clean line work.