Ten years ago today, Charles Monroe Schulz passed away in his sleep, bringing to a final end a long career of creativity. I’m not sure what there is to say at this point about his passing. I would rather he were still with us, of course, being with his loved ones and turning out as much cartoons as he would choose, but he didn’t die tragically young, and he left behind a substantial body of work for the many millions who appreciate it.
But I will note that in the ten years that have passed, there have been some amazing steps to make sure hat his work is catalogued and accessible, and that his life and efforts have been documented. In that time, the Schulz Museum has opened, the Complete Peanuts series commenced its organized reprinting of all of the Peanuts newspaper strips and has already gone beyond the halfway point of its long run; the books of “Li’l Folks”, “It’s Only a Game”, and his Warner Press work have collected cartoons never before in book form. Biography attempts of varying quality have captured information about his life while participants in that life are still around. These efforts to preserve Schulz’s legacy continue, and those of you who read this blog have likely participated in some form, even if it’s just discussing your favorite Peanuts moments with others. The man is gone, but who he was and what he brought us, these things shall not disappear quickly in the mist of time.
