Bruce Shanks

Bruce Shanks

Bruce McKinley Shanks (1908-1980) was the "Buffalo Evening News" editorial cartoonist, and won the 1958 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning with his cartoon "The Thinker," published on August 10 1957. It depicted the dilemma of union membership when confronted by corrupt leaders in some labor unions.

Shanks was born in Buffalo and was the son of George Shanks, who owned a local sign painting business. From 1924-1927, he attended Lafayette High School, where he was taught by art instructor Elizabeth Weiffenbach, who later (1936-1939) also influenced the style of science-fiction cover artist Kelly Freas. Shanks began his employment with the Buffalo Evening News as a copy boy. His first cartoons appeared in the sports pages.

One character created by Shanks was Olaf Fub, which derives from Buffalo spelled backwards. A drawing of Fub and the phrase, "Olaf Fub sez..." introduced writers' commentary on local events even well after Shanks' death.

Another character appearing frequently in Shanks' editorial cartoons was John Q. Public. It is unclear if Shanks created this name, which is now aplaceholder name in the United States. Shanks' cartoons were widely distributed by syndicators throughout the United States and the world at the height of his career, and it is possible that his use contributed to widespread use, even if he did not invent the name.

In addition to the Pulitzer, Shanks won eight Freedom Foundation awards and several Page One Awards from the American Newspaper Guild.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Shanks (disambiguation) — Shanks is a surname, and may refer to:* Bill Shanks, American sports broadcaster and writer * Bruce Shanks, (1908 1980), former editorial cartoonist for the Buffalo Evening News * Edward Shanks, English writer * Emily Shanks, British painter,… …   Wikipedia

  • Shanks — This unusual and long established surname is of Anglo Saxon, and is now confined chiefly to northern English and Scottish regions. Shanks or Shank is a nickname for someone with particularly long legs, or some peculiarity of gait. The derivation… …   Surnames reference

  • Lafayette High School (Buffalo) — Lafayette High School is the oldest public school in Buffalo that remains in its original building; a stone, brick and terra cotta structure in the French Renaissance Revival style, by architects August Esenwein and James A. Johnson. Although… …   Wikipedia

  • List of people from Buffalo, New York — Many Buffalonians have found fame and fortune in their careers.Artists*Steve Fiorilla, sculptor and illustrator, lives in Buffalo. He is best known for his Rat Fink art and grotesque MTV logo. *Robert Longo, this multi media artist, a Buffalo… …   Wikipedia

  • The Buffalo News — Infobox Newspaper name = caption = The May 16, 2004 front page of The Buffalo News type = Daily newspaper format = Broadsheet foundation = 1880 owners = Berkshire Hathaway circulation = 181,540 Daily 266,123 Sunday [cite web | title=2007 Top 100… …   Wikipedia

  • 1958 Pulitzer Prize — The following are the Pulitzer Prizes for 1958.Journalism Awards*PublicService: **The Arkansas Gazette , for demonstrating the highest qualities of civic leadership, journalistic responsibility and moral courage in the face of great public… …   Wikipedia

  • Elizabeth Weiffenbach — (1881 1954) was an Art teacher at Lafayette High School in Buffalo, New York, from the school s opening in 1903 until her retirement in 1952. During that period, she influenced artists and architects who went on to local, national, and… …   Wikipedia

  • Liste der Biografien/Sh — Biografien: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Echo (Leona Lewis album) — Echo Studio album by Leona Lewis Released 9 November 2009 …   Wikipedia

  • List of One Piece characters — The protagonists of the One Piece series. Clockwise from top: Franky, Usopp (in his Sogeking alias), Nico Robin, Sanji, Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Nami, Brook and Tony Tony Chopper (at the center). The One Piece manga and anime series… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”