AAEC - Editorial Cartoon News
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December 18, 2006
A Letter from the President
Dear AAEC,
Four score and seven years ago (give or take 37 years) our fathers brought forth on this continent a new association, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all editorial cartoonists need a reason to get together and drink. That's right, folks, we're preparing to celebrate 50 years as an organization!
Our 50th anniversary convention is set for July 4-7, 2007, at the Mayflower
Hotel in Washington, DC. What better way to celebrate our 50th than with some
fireworks? No, I don't mean the fireworks shooting out of your ears as you
fight traffic into the city on the fourth of July (come a day early!) I mean
the more traditional kind. Naturally, since we're cartoonists, we'll sponge
off of D.C.'s fireworks that will be lighting up the sky above the National
Mall, not far from the hotel. (Please do NOT bring your own fireworks! ... Yes,
that means you, Bruce!)
We chose D.C. because that's where the AAEC's first convention was held and
it seemed like a great bookend for the 50th. Why the Fourth of July? Because
editorial cartooning is the work of patriots, as Ben Franklin would remind
us. Because every time we pick up a brush or a pen or a stylus we do our part
to protect freedom, democracy and the American way. Oh, and because the hotel
was cheaper that week.
I would like to send a "shout out" (the awkward white guy version) to my brother-in-ink
(even if his is digital ink) and hard-working predecessor, Clay Bennett. Clay's
shoes will be impossible for me to fill. Not just because they're smelly from
all the mileage he covered as president, I am just not as dedicated as Clay.
As you may recall, he was on duty when the Danish Mohammad cartoons caused riots in the streets. I implore all cartoonists around the world: Please don't draw cartoons offending any prophets until I am out of office. Thank you. This isn't to say I'm lazy. I'm a hard worker. Being president of the AAEC is hard. My job is to work hard for you. I'm working hard.
My goals as your new President, aside from getting us free booze for the convention, is to make this the best 50th Anniversary we've ever had. OK, it's the only one we've ever had or will have, so that shouldn't be too hard. The point is, this is a great opportunity to reconnect with our roots and honor some of our founding members. It is also the perfect time to welcome new members in and encourage inactive members to become active again. With the sad state of newspapers being what it is and cartooning jobs disappearing, we need each other now more than ever. Reach out to your fellow cartoonists and encourage them all to come. Let's make this the best-attended convention in AAEC history!
As we focus on this convention let us not forget that there is a lot of good work happening on other fronts. We're working with Anita to continue to improve the new web site (if you haven't logged on, now's the time.) Work is also continuing to get the ECI (Editorial Cartoonist Initiative, our non-profit arm) up and running and to find new sources of income for the organization so we don't have to depend on our own strapped newspapers to chip in. Thank you to all those folks working hard on these projects.
I will have a lot of other people to thank by the time this convention is over. For now, I will just send out a general "thank you" to everyone who has already offered to help and everyone who will be helping eventually. Not that I am doing nothing myself. My job is to work hard for you. I'm a hard worker. Being president of the AAEC is hard. It's a hard job. I'm working hard.
Sincerely working hard,
Rob Rogers
AAEC President
Caricature by Bruce Plante