A Tribute to a Friend by Michael P. Ramirez -with an update below*
July 28,2016
I mourn with a heavy heart the passing of my dear friend, MAD Magazine cartoonist Jack Davis.
Jack was one of my heroes...
Not because Jack Davis was one of the greatest cartoonists who ever lived. He was. Jack would never say that about himself but Jack could draw anything.
Not because he was one of the most famous cartoonists in the world. He was. Jack's work was featured on books, on the cover of every major magazine, on movie posters, on television, in sports arenas and everywhere you could print a cartoon on. Jack just called it work.
Not because Jack Davis was one of the founding cartoonists for MAD Magazine or the fact that his work in MAD was brilliant and unique which made him one of the most influential cartoonists in history. He was. You can see Jack's shoes in the cartoons of cartoonists from every region, across the world.
Jack was my hero, because he was one of the warmest, and most kindhearted human beings, and one of the most talented and humble men I have ever met. His roots were firmly planted in Georgia. He was conservative and soft spoken, and generous and kind. Jack epitomized the southern gentleman.
I met Jack when I became a member of the National Cartoonists Society. I was just one of his adoring fans but he was so generous with his time and we quickly became friends.
I had the good fortune to go on a USO tour with Jack to visit our wounded troops in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Kaiserslautern, Germany. He was a comfort to the men and women we visited. It was hard to believe that one of the world's most famous cartoonists in his eighties would have the time to visit our soldiers but Jack made the time.
And the USO schedules are pretty rigorous. They use every minute. We had flown to DC to fly to Germany. Upon arriving in DC we immediately went to Bethesda, Maryland to visit the Walter Reed Medical Center. After spending an afternoon and evening there, the next stop was the airport and a long flight to Germany. Upon arriving in Germany we went directly to a USO dinner and then to our sleeping quarters for a brief rest and then a 7 AM wakeup call to board the bus to depart for a full day of hospital visits, meet and greet events and visits to the USO centers.
This was the routine every single day.
I was doing my best to keep up with the schedule and I was in my forties. Jack was doing this in his eighties, he was always in good cheer and he was always one of the first on the bus every morning.
Jack was a national treasure.
Jack was a patriot. He served in the Navy. He loved those who served our country because he knew first hand, that there was a price for our liberty and freedom.
Jack loved America and America loved him.
I was lucky enough to be selected to be the Jack Davis Distinguished Visiting Artist in 2011. My bronze trophy, a giant Jack Davis shoe sits proudly in my studio, where I can glimpse it every day. It is a reminder of my friend, a legend, who made me laugh, who made me look in awe at the magnificence of this work. I will always remember him as that humble man from Georgia, who made the world laugh and inspired me and generations of cartoonists for years to come.
I hold this sculpture in my lap as I write this tribute to my wonderful friend and I will miss him.
America will miss him.
He will always be my friend and I will always be his fan. He will live on through his volumes and volumes of incredible work. I was going to say cartoons but really, what Jack Davis did was art.
Jack, may God welcome you and watch over you my friend and may God comfort those you have left behind.
-m
I mourn with a heavy heart the passing of my dear friend, MAD Magazine cartoonist Jack Davis.
Jack was one of my heroes...
Not because Jack Davis was one of the greatest cartoonists who ever lived. He was. Jack would never say that about himself but Jack could draw anything.
Not because he was one of the most famous cartoonists in the world. He was. Jack's work was featured on books, on the cover of every major magazine, on movie posters, on television, in sports arenas and everywhere you could print a cartoon on. Jack just called it work.
Not because Jack Davis was one of the founding cartoonists for MAD Magazine or the fact that his work in MAD was brilliant and unique which made him one of the most influential cartoonists in history. He was. You can see Jack's shoes in the cartoons of cartoonists from every region, across the world.
Jack was my hero, because he was one of the warmest, and most kindhearted human beings, and one of the most talented and humble men I have ever met. His roots were firmly planted in Georgia. He was conservative and soft spoken, and generous and kind. Jack epitomized the southern gentleman.
I met Jack when I became a member of the National Cartoonists Society. I was just one of his adoring fans but he was so generous with his time and we quickly became friends.
I had the good fortune to go on a USO tour with Jack to visit our wounded troops in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Kaiserslautern, Germany. He was a comfort to the men and women we visited. It was hard to believe that one of the world's most famous cartoonists in his eighties would have the time to visit our soldiers but Jack made the time.
And the USO schedules are pretty rigorous. They use every minute. We had flown to DC to fly to Germany. Upon arriving in DC we immediately went to Bethesda, Maryland to visit the Walter Reed Medical Center. After spending an afternoon and evening there, the next stop was the airport and a long flight to Germany. Upon arriving in Germany we went directly to a USO dinner and then to our sleeping quarters for a brief rest and then a 7 AM wakeup call to board the bus to depart for a full day of hospital visits, meet and greet events and visits to the USO centers.
This was the routine every single day.
I was doing my best to keep up with the schedule and I was in my forties. Jack was doing this in his eighties, he was always in good cheer and he was always one of the first on the bus every morning.
Jack was a national treasure.
Jack was a patriot. He served in the Navy. He loved those who served our country because he knew first hand, that there was a price for our liberty and freedom.
Jack loved America and America loved him.
I was lucky enough to be selected to be the Jack Davis Distinguished Visiting Artist in 2011. My bronze trophy, a giant Jack Davis shoe sits proudly in my studio, where I can glimpse it every day. It is a reminder of my friend, a legend, who made me laugh, who made me look in awe at the magnificence of this work. I will always remember him as that humble man from Georgia, who made the world laugh and inspired me and generations of cartoonists for years to come.
I hold this sculpture in my lap as I write this tribute to my wonderful friend and I will miss him.
America will miss him.
He will always be my friend and I will always be his fan. He will live on through his volumes and volumes of incredible work. I was going to say cartoons but really, what Jack Davis did was art.
Jack, may God welcome you and watch over you my friend and may God comfort those you have left behind.
-m
Update:
JACK DAVIS AWARD
I had mentioned winning the Jack Davis Award, and I have to tell you, it is one of my favorites and one of the awards I am most proud of and honored to have, not only because it is so cool but because it is named after one of the all-time greats, legendary cartoonist Jack Davis... and it is really cool.
Holding it the other day brought back a flood of memories. The fact that Jack was my friend, is pretty darn cool. God Bless you Jack.
It is a brilliant bronze sculpture and a three-dimensional re-creation of one of Jack's famous shoes. The detail is amazing. A few of you have asked to see what it looked like, and I think Jack would love to have it shared with you all, so here it is....
The Jack Davis Visiting Artist Award
I had mentioned winning the Jack Davis Award, and I have to tell you, it is one of my favorites and one of the awards I am most proud of and honored to have, not only because it is so cool but because it is named after one of the all-time greats, legendary cartoonist Jack Davis... and it is really cool.
Holding it the other day brought back a flood of memories. The fact that Jack was my friend, is pretty darn cool. God Bless you Jack.
It is a brilliant bronze sculpture and a three-dimensional re-creation of one of Jack's famous shoes. The detail is amazing. A few of you have asked to see what it looked like, and I think Jack would love to have it shared with you all, so here it is....
The Jack Davis Visiting Artist Award