AWARDS, RECOGNITION

Among Mort Walker’s many awards are the following:

    1953: Cartoonist of the Year, receiving The Reuben (cartoonists version of the Oscar) from the National Cartoonists Society

    1955: Banshees Club Award, the Silver Lady, as Outstanding Cartoonist

    1966 and 1969: Best Humor Strip from the National Cartoonists Society

    1967: Citation of Merit from University of Missouri College of Arts and Science

    1972: Il Secolo XIX Award, Italy

    1975: Adamson Award for Best International Cartoonist, Sweden

    1977: Power of Printing Award

    1978: Fourth Estate Award from the American Legion

    1979: The Jester from the Newspaper Features Council

    The Inkpot Award at the San Diego Comic Convention

    1980: Faculty Alumni Award from the University of Missouri, Scholar in residence

    1981: Doctor of Letters from William Penn College

    1987: Man of the Year by Kappa Sigma Fraternity

    1988: Adamson Award Platinum, Sweden

    1989: Man of the Year by Kappa Sigma

    1990: U.S. Army Certificate of Appreciation for Patriotic Civilian Service

In 1992, there was a dedication of a life-sized Beetle Bailey statue on the University of Missouri campus.  Mort designed the piece and his son, Neal, sculpted it.  The same year, he served as the university’s William Francis English Scholar-in-Residence.

The National Cartoonists Society awarded him the Golden T-Square in 1999, for fifty years of service.  He was the second ever to receive the award.  That same year he received the Order of Chevalier from the French Minister of Culture and Communication, and the Elzie Segar Award for Lifetime Achievement.

In May 2000, the United States Army at the Pentagon honored Walker with The Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service, the highest award the Secretary of the Army can bestow on a civilian.  The Association of the United States Army, the National World War II Memorial Campaign and the Non-commissioned Officers Association also lauded him at the ceremony for his efforts towards the National World War II Memorial.  A Twilight Tattoo sunset parade was performed in his honor.

In 2005, he received the Connecticut Legend Award.


BIBLIOGRAPHY / SOURCE LIST

Family files, Clymer Research Library; BCHS, El Dorado, KS (originals in archives)

Mort Walker, Mort Walker’s Private Scrapbook – Celebrating a Life of Love and Laughter; Andrews McMeel Publishing, Kansas City, MO, 2000

The El Dorado Times, August 28, 2000; pp 2

Dave Webb, 399 Kansas Characters; Kansas Heritage Center, Dodge City, KS, 1992; pp 169

Kansas Biographical Dictionary; Somerset Publishing, New York, NY, 1994; pp 293-295

Greater El Dorado, Kansas – City Directory 1923; C.B. Page, Springfield, MO, 1923; pp 143

mortwalker.com

lambiek.net/artists/w/walker

www.defenselink.mil

en.wikipedia.org

www.reuben.org

library.thinkquest.org

www.upress.state.ms.us

poll.imdb.com

www.news.toonzone.net

muarchives.missouri.edu