WTWO/WAWV carries the story of local cartoonist minister Paul Gray.
At almost 90 years old, Paul Gray of Carlisle has been cartooning his entire life—he even still publishes a weekly cartoon for area newspapers.
“In the early 1950s, I worked for the Detroit Daily News a little bit,” he said.
He also worked for a number of small newspapers throughout Michigan and Indiana before his life took another turn.
“That went on until I was called to the ministry,” he said.
Gray received his credentials with the Indiana district of the Assemblies of God church. His first assignment took him to Urbana, Indiana where he started a new church.
Instead of giving up on his cartoons, he incorporated them into his ministry.
“My toons are a message,” Gray said.
Paul even managed to bring his message to the masses.
His father had once told Gray he should publish his cartoons in the Saturday Evening Post, and it was through his ministry that he was able to do just that.
That is how he met religious editor Bob Silvers who liked his work and helped him get published.
For every 20 cartoons he sent in, about three would be used in the magazine, which Gray said was a pretty good average for a cartoonist.
His work appeared in the Saturday Evening Post for 14 years, until the original publication folded in the 1970s.
The WTWO/WAWV story with a short video.
MyWabashValley.com carries the print story with illustrations.
Today, Gray’s religious cartoon, “Shades of Gray” can be seen each week on the Sullivan Daily Times religious page.
Way to stay the course! I hope I can do something like this. I figure if I can hold out till about his age, I might be able to finally figure out what to do with my life.