In 1979 a young cartoonist drawing for a labor paper in Racine, Wisconsin left a meeting with his editor, Roger Bybee. They had decided that the week’s cartoon should deal with Jimmy Carter’s decision to reinstate draft registration. The cartoonist drove north for a block and turned left at a Shell station and an idea was born. Not long after publication in Racine Labor, the cartoon made an appearance in a wide variety of newspapers, thanks to syndication — everything from the Washington Post to the LA Sun.
Twenty-four years and five presidents later, the idea seems to take on
a life of its own, appearing sometimes as a text message, sometimes as
a web graphic. The now not-so-young cartoonist himself has redrawn the
cartoon several times. That’s partially because the idea, unfortunately,
tends to remain current, and partially to remind people that the origin
of this particular idea was the gas station at the corner of Washington
Ave. and Twelfth St. in Racine, Wisconsin.
ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHTED GARY HUCK/ UE/ HUCK/ KONOPACKI CARTOONS
reproduction in whole or part without permission is strictly prohibited.
