Herblock's Legacy: A Firm Foundation

By: Dave Astor The Herb Block Foundation -- endowed with $50 million by the late cartooning giant -- is drawing up plans to spend the money and keep Herblock's memory alive.

Its first big move is donating more than 14,000 of Herblock's editorial cartoons to the Library of Congress.

"They were in his basement -- one burst pipe away from disaster," said foundation President Frank Swoboda.

The library is displaying a number of the Herblock cartoons in an exhibit that started March 12. Swoboda told E&P Online that there will eventually be a permanent Herblock room at the library, which will loan out cartoons for shows in other venues.

The foundation also plans to dispense grant money, help with Herblock-related books, start a political cartooning prize (which might honor Web work, too), and give college scholarships to needy two- and four-year students in various subject areas.

Formal plans for at least some of these efforts are slated to be announced before the end of this year, according to Swoboda. In the meantime, the Washington-based foundation's four staffers and 17-member board are mulling over the details.

For instance, there is the matter of what groups might receive grants. "If you look at Herblock's cartoons, there are certain themes -- social justice, civil liberties, civil rights, and education," said Swoboda. So organizations in those areas would be prime grant candidates. But questions include whether to help established or struggling groups, give small sums to many groups or large sums to a few groups, etc.

Also under consideration is helping journalism organizations such as the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.

Swoboda reported that about $20 million of Herblock's estate is available to the foundation at this point, with the rest to be released when the probate process is completed. Herblock died in October 2001, at age 91, after a multi-Pulitzer-Prize-winning career that began in 1929 with the Chicago Daily News. He joined The Washington Post in 1946, and his last national distributor was Creators Syndicate.

Swoboda noted that if the history of the 20th century was somehow lost, "you could probably reconstruct the major events by looking at Herblock's cartoons."

In his will, Herblock established the foundation and chose the people to run it. Three of the four staffers were Herblock's assistants -- one, foundation Executive Director Jean Rickard, worked with him for 40-plus years. The fourth, now-retired Post reporter and editor Swoboda, had a friendly relationship with the cartoonist.

"He was a wonderful man -- warm and funny," said Swoboda. "And he never lost his sense of outrage. He wouldn't holler, but you could see it in his cartoons."

The amount of money Herblock had shocked almost everybody. "He was kind of rumpled," said Swoboda. "You wouldn't think he had two nickels. He broke all the rules of investing, essentially having only one stock -- the Washington Post Co. -- and keeping it. When it split, it was like having a rabbit in a safety-deposit box."

Several past and present Post people (including Swoboda) are on the foundation board. Other members, such as Chicago Tribune/Tribune Media Services columnist Clarence Page, come from outside the Post.

Swoboda noted that the foundation, which will eventually have a Web site, intends to be a permanent entity that will be around for the 100th anniversary of Herblock's 1909 birth -- and beyond.

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Agent Toni Mendez Dies at Age 94

Very Involved With Newspaper Cartooning

Toni Mendez, a literary agent known for her connection to newspaper cartooning, died of a heart attack March 9 in New York City. Though 94, she was involved with running her agency until the end of her life.

Among the people Mendez represented were "Terry and the Pirates"/"Steve Canyon" cartoonist Milton Caniff (1907-1988), "Kliban Cat" creator B. Kliban (1935-1990), and, more recently, author/Universal Press Syndicate editorial cartoonist Ted Rall.

Mendez -- a former Rockette, solo dancer, and choreographer always seen wearing a stylish hat -- also worked for years with organizations such as the National Cartoonists Society and Newspaper Features Council.

Corinta Kotula, executive director of the now-defunct NFC, told E&P Online that Mendez "admired cartoonists and their creativity so much." She recalled that, when talking with Mendez two days before she died, Mendez discussed the importance of cartoon art being displayed and preserved. "Toni was a wonderful friend, and a very strong woman who had a passion for life," said Kotula.

The Toni Mendez Inc. agency, based in New York City, will continue operations.

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Wide Cat Coming to Wide Screen

'Garfield' Film May Hit Theaters in December

A "Garfield" movie is expected to enter production this month and possibly reach theaters in December, according to 20th Century Cat ... um ... Fox.

Garfield's voice has yet to be cast, but Breckin Meyer (Clueless/Road Trip) is slated to be Jon Arbuckle and Jennifer Love Hewitt would play Liz.

In the part-live-action film, Odie the dog gets kidnapped. Garfield feels responsible and "springs into action."

The "Garfield" comic -- which turns 25 this June -- is by Jim Davis of Universal Press Syndicate. It appears in about 2,600 newspapers worldwide

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End of Term for 'Senator'

Filler Feature Started in the 1920s

United Media is discontinuing "Senator Soaper," which entered syndication in the 1920s, effective March 26.

A United spokeswoman said that many newspapers "don't have the space to run 'filler' features anymore."

The column, most recently written by Doug Larson, includes humorous observations about life.

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Et cetera ...

Bob Greene is the subject of profiles in the March Chicago and April Esquire. Chicago reported that the high-school student Greene slept with (in the 1980s relationship that cost Greene his Chicago Tribune job last September) is seeking a financial settlement with the ex-columnist. The magazine also noted that Greene's "overattentiveness to young women" was well-known for years in the Tribune newsroom, and that, while 60% of the paper's readers initially supported Greene, only 50 canceled their subscriptions. Greene was with Tribune Media Services.

Cartoonist Guy Gilchrist made Tammy Cochran's hit song "Angels in Waiting" the theme of the March 3 installment of his "Your Angels Speak" feature distributed by United Feature Syndicate. The illustration appeared one day before Cochran's performance at a benefit concert -- "Country Cares for St. Jude's Kids" -- hosted by WWYZ Radio in Hartford, Conn. Gilchrist produced several oversized copies of the March 3 feature that he and Cochran signed for sale at the event.

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