This year’s Silver T-Square Award will be given to former NCS president Steve McGarry during the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Awards weekend in May. The award is given for outstanding dedication or service to the Society or the profession.
Former NCS president Jeff Keane:
Under Steve’s watch the NCS flourished both here at home and abroad. He held Reubens in Cancun, San Francisco, Kansas City and Scottsdale, held seminars with speakers such as Matt Groening, Garry Trudeau, Berke Breathed, Pete Doctor, Jules Feiffer, Gahan Wilson… and Steve didn’t just delegate either, he worked hard to make sure every event under his watch was top-notch. He organized and produced the roasts of Mell Lazarus, Cathy Guisewite and Sergio Aragones… he started the tradition of Karaoke night (only he was able to envision the idea of cartoonists singing as being a pleasant experience)… he oversaw NCS book signings and school seminars, reached out to our colleagues in other countries (especially Australia… probably because they could almost understand his language).
Steve not only was instrumental in making sure the NCS established a presence at San Diego Comic-Con but also designed the extraordinary NCS booth that is so essential to our successful stay there… as if those efforts weren’t enough to promote our profession, Steve was also the driving force behind the NCS Foundation, the charitable arm of our organization. The Foundation not only supports cartooning and cartoonists, but every year gives out the Jay Kennnedy Memorial Scholarship to a deserving college student. Then, after he was finished with his four years, he removed his presidential top hat but kept his volunteer cap on and continued amongst other things to produce the Reuben brochures and helped assemble and direct Award night ceremonies.
Congratulation Steve McGarry, Well deserved,……. we still miss your Badlands strip here in the UK’s Sun Newspaper.