by Betsy Bramlett
posted October 5, 2007
 Bruce Plante |
If you haven't already, you're out of luck or in luck, because he's packing up his drawing board and moving to Tulsa, Okla.
There, he'll be working for the "Tulsa World" and be faced with the task of filling the shoes of the late Doug Marlette, a Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist and creator of the comic strip "Kudzu."
"I hate to leave Chattanooga. That's for sure. I love Chattanooga," Mr. Plante said, and as crazy as it seems, some of the people he skewered the most over the years hate to see him go as well.
Take former Hamilton County Commissioner Lou Miller, whom he poked fun at with the name "Carrot Top" in reference to her hair color after a controversial vote.
"I don't know how he can be replaced," she said. "He's creative and innovative. He calls it like he sees it. It's an honor for Chattanooga to produce a person of his capabilities. I'm glad he's going up the ladder, but he'll always be a part of Chattanooga."
Also on the receiving end of Bruce Plante's "poison pen" was Ms. Miller's commission colleague Curtis Adams, who "fessed up" to the reason why the cartoonist is leaving town.
"All the elected officials got together and had a private fundraiser. We met outside of the Sunshine Law at the Walden Club and raised thousands of dollars to pay that Tulsa paper to hire Bruce and pay his first three years' salary."
Okay, that's a joke, and Commissioner Adams admits he's framed dozens of Plante cartoons that were critical of him.
"He's the best," Commissioner Adams said. "He scorched me a few times, but it's supposed to be funny. I've seen editorial cartoonists in the Atlanta paper, Forbes, New York Times…and nobody's better. He could be a cartoonist on the largest newspaper in America."
Congressman Zach Wamp also weighed in on Mr. Plante's departure.
"He'll be a great loss. He's one of Chattanooga's greatest talents. He's what Reggie White is to football, Usher is to music and Jon Meacham is to journalism from here.
"Even when he ripped your heart out and shared it with you before you died politically, he showed class, taste and humor. He'd have a zing, and I'd say, 'well, he got me.' He kept me on my toes."
Sen. Bob Corker wasn't exempt from Bruce Plante's cartooning, but he said he's going to miss him.
"For years, I've enjoyed waking up in the morning and seeing Bruce's latest cartoon - even when he was having some fun at my expense," he said. "I know his great wit and talent will be missed in Chattanooga and I wish him much success."
Somebody who might miss him the most is the editorial writer whose columns are to the left of Mr. Plante's cartoons.
"I don't think a lot of people realize what a treasure we've had in Bruce Plante," said Harry Austin. "I hate like the dickens to lose him."
"It's such a talent to put everything such as a difficult issue into such a short text and a picture. That's a gift."
He also pointed out that Mr. Plante had received the Fischetti Award, which he said is one step away from a Pulitzer for editorial cartooning and that he had also served as president of the National Association of Editorial Cartoonists.
It was in 1985 that Mr. Plante became the first staff editorial cartoonist for the Chattanooga Times. In 1989, he created Plante Ink syndicate which distributes his editorial cartoons to 80 subscribers throughout the United States including 40 newspapers in Tennessee. His cartoons have been reprinted in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Newsweek International (Europe), Newsweek Japan, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Discover, CBS, CNN, college and high school textbooks and even the Iowa Achievement Test.
His favorite characters? The Hamilton County Commission, which also included his depiction of Fred Skillern as a clown; resigned City Councilwoman Marti Rurtherford and her disputed residency, and the Tennessee State Legislature, which he portrayed as hillbillies. The most difficult to draw? It was former Vice President Al Gore. "I just couldn't capture him. That's why I came up with the 2x4 wooden plank idea," he said.
Informed about the accolades he'd received, Mr. Plante said "I think I'm gonna cry." Well, maybe that's a joke, too, but as far as their providing him subject matter, "I just can't thank all of those politicians enough."
| Dining Out | Business | Movies | Focus | About Us |
| Church | Living Well | Memories | Outdoors | Real Estate | Student Scene | Travel |
