Arkansas editorial cartoonist Jon Kennedy has passed away at the age of 96. His obituary hints at the longevity of his career:
Jon B. Kennedy, 96, of North Little Rock passed away Friday, October 10th. Born in Springfield, Missouri on August 19, 1918 to parents , Brownlow and Ida Kennedy , he started his career as a staff artist at the Springfield Leader-Press while still in high school. After several years in the art department there, he moved on to become editorial cartoonist in 1941 for the Arkansas Democrat in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1943, Kennedy enlisted in the Army and was discharged in April 1946. While in the military, he cartooned, drew training materials and painted.
Kennedy returned to his position at the Arkansas Democrat in 1946, where he would remain until his semi-retirement with his final cartoon appearing in the September 16, 1988 edition. Kennedy returned to cartooning in 1992 for Arkansas Business, eventually retiring because of vision problems in 2005.
He was a charter member of the AAEC.
Here’s a sample of his cartoons from The University of Arkansas at Little Rock
A true legend in the game. My pleasure to work with Jon
for a short time in Little Rock when I was with The Arkansas Democrat. So long Jon…