[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 18 (Thursday, February 24, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S829-S830]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN MEMORY OF ``PEANUTS'' CREATOR CHARLES SCHULZ

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, on February 12, we lost the 
creator of the world's most popular comic strip, Charles Schulz. The 
``Peanuts'' comic strip was a daily staple for millions of people--not 
only in America but around the world.
  While Charles Schulz' legions of fans mourn the loss of his creative 
genius, he was also a man with a wonderful family who cared deeply 
about him. I want to express my deep sympathy to his wife, Jeanne 
Schulz, his five children (Monte, Craig, Meredith, Amy, and Jill), his 
two stepchildren and 18 grandchildren. Our hearts are with you.
  For half a century, the ``Peanuts'' comic-strip has been part of the 
fabric

[[Page S830]]

of our national culture. Charles Schulz' illustrations have inspired us 
with its wry humor and endearing cast of characters. Who has not been 
touched by the trials and tribulations of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, 
Lucy, and the rest of the Peanuts family?
  Here is what some of Charles Schulz' peers had to say about his 
legacy.
  Rob Rogers, editorial cartoonist of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, said 
of Charles Schulz' legacy to his profession:

       Schulz revolutionized the comic strip. Not just with his 
     simply and accessible art style but also his strong character 
     development. He combined the innocence of childhood with the 
     cynicism of adulthood to create realistic, idiosyncratic and 
     empathetic icons.

  Cartoonist Mort Walker, the creator of ``Beetle Bailey'' said of 
Schulz:

       What he brought to the strips was a whole new attitude . . 
     . [He] brought in pathos, failure, rejection, all that stuff, 
     and somehow made it funny.

  As one writer observed, Charlie Brown taught me

     it's OK to lose. Losing doesn't mean giving up hope. No mater 
     how many times he missed the football, lost the big game, or 
     heard Lucy call him a blockhead, he still believed in 
     himself. This is the lesson that helped me get through 
     childhood and now helps me deal with the tangled kite strings 
     of adulthood.

  Charles Schulz was born in Minneapolis, MN on November 26, 1922, and 
was raised in St. Paul. He acquired an interest in cartooning while a 
teenager, but was drafted as an army infantryman in World War II before 
he could fulfill his career ambition.
  In 1947, Schulz started a feature in the St. Paul Pioneer Press 
called ``Li'l Folks.'' It was syndicated as Peanuts, launching an 
unprecedented 50-year run of over 18,000 comic strip installments.
  At its peak, Peanuts appeared in close to 3,000 newspapers in 75 
countries and was published in over 20 different languages to more than 
355 million daily readers. Charles Schulz' television special, ``A 
Charlie Brown Christmas,'' has run for 34 consecutive years. In all, 
more than 60 animated specials have been created based on ``Peanuts'' 
characters. Four feature films, 1,400 books, and a hit Broadway musical 
about the ``Peanuts'' characters also have been produced.
  Charles Schulz' achievements are all the more remarkable because, 
throughout his career, he had worked without any artistic assistants, 
unlike most syndicated cartoonists. Schulz painstakingly drew every 
line and frame in his comic strip for 50 years, and unparalleled 
commitment to his art and profession.
  In 1994, while speaking before the National Cartoonists Society, 
Charles Schulz said of his comic strip, ``There's still a market for 
things that are clean and decent.'' Charles Schulz has given 
generations of children a cast of colorful characters to grow up with 
and to teach the small and large lessons of life.
  In his farewell strip, Charles Schulz wrote, ``Charlie Brown, Snoopy, 
Linus, Lucy * * * how can I ever forget them * * *'' These characters 
will stay with us forever and we will certainly never forget their 
creator, Charles Schulz.
  There is still something we can do for Charles Schulz and his family.
  For the past several months, I have worked on legislation to award 
Charles Schulz the Congressional Gold Medal for his outstanding career 
and community service.
  In fact, on Thursday, February 10, just 2 days before Charles Schulz' 
passing, I formally introduced the legislation to award him the Gold 
Medal. While Charles Schulz can no longer personally receive this 
honor, the posthumous award would be the proper gesture to his wife 
Jeanne, their children, and to the millions of ``Peanuts'' fans around 
the world.
  As the world's preeminent cartoonist, Charles Schulz is more than 
qualified to join the 17 other Americans who have received the 
Congressional Gold Medal for their contribution to the Arts.
  I urge my Senate colleagues to join me in posthumously awarding 
Charles Schulz the Congressional Gold Medal. This would be one small 
token of our nation's great appreciation of this man who gave us all so 
much.

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