I caught wind of this last year, but it’s now official. Jeff MacNelly’s widow, Susie, has donated Jeff’s original art and papers to the Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. The collection includes his editorial cartoons and his comic strips Shoe, Pluggers, and cartoons created for Dave Barry’s humor column.
Jeff was a master of the trade and influenced cartoonists for decades with his wonderful brushwork and humor. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize three times (1972, 1978, and 1985) and was twice The National Cartoonists Society’s Rebeun Award winner.
The collection will be delivered to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum over the span of a few years. The first shipment is his work from 1971 to 1981 – about 800 pieces.