Humanities Alumni Spotlight:

Who's Laughing Now!

Being the class clown has paid off for alumnus Jerry King. You've no doubt seen his work – maybe in an American Greeting card, a Disney cartoon, Better Homes and Gardens, Golf Digest, The Saturday Evening Post, or even Playboy. King is an award-winning cartoonist, and his creations have appeared in thousands of greeting cards, magazines, and the list goes on. Each month he creates and sells over 200 cartoons on a variety of topics to clients world-wide.

After a three-year stint as a medic in the U.S. Army, King worked his comic magic as a cartoonist for The Lantern while earning a B.A. in English. He was recognized as the top college editorial cartoonist in the country. He also was a runner-up in the Charles M. Schulz Cartoon Contest and a finalist in the Gamut National Cartoon Contest. His political cartoons earned an Associated Press Award.

King is the author and illustrator of seven nationally published cartoon books, for example, You Know You're a Golf Addict When…. He has also illustrated ten children's books including Read & Comprehend for grades 5-6; Punchy Division Problems for grades 3-4; Spaceship Subtraction for grades 2-3; Exploring Science through Journal Writing, and Statistics, Graphing & Probability: Making Logical Learning Fun. Many of his illustrations appear in numerous children's publications, and his cat cartoon character has been made into a stuffed animal.

King credits coming from a fun family and his experiences at Ohio State for his success: “All the reading, writing, and theatre I experienced at OSU still play a role in my creative process. I find humor in everyday life. Aside from making people laugh, I want people to be able to relate to the cartoons.”

To date, the highlight of his career was meeting President George Bush and Barbara Bush: “After I drew cartoons of them, they autographed them and auctioned them off for charity. Being recognized as the top magazine cartoonist in America by the National Cartoonists Society ranks second.” Former President Bill Clinton mentioned one of his Gibson greetings cards in a USAToday article, and Michael Eisner personally selected his cartoons for Disney.

King and his wife Anne live in northeastern Ohio with their two daughters, two dogs, and a bird. He says when he's not at the drawing board, he's probably on a golf course losing. Golf game aside, this alumnus is a real winner!

For more information on this outstanding alumnus, please visit www.jerryking.com.