In his 1981 book of cartoons, “Growing Pains,” the late cartoonist, Bruce Bledsoe, took his audience through a visual tour of the negative aspects of the history of Chattanooga in a humorous and direct approach.
The “Scenic City” of old is not the same as the “Gig City” of today.
Much has changed, some for the better, and some for the worse.
Bruce was an accurate portrayer of the past era of our beloved hometown in the 1980s and he was also a great prophet as to how some things have and have not changed in 2021.
His ability to poke fun at persons, events, and present-day conditions is a refreshing trip and a realization that some things may not have changed that much in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
To preserve Bruce’s memory and to provide funny and sometimes caustic selection of his best cartoons they will periodically be reproduced during the next few weeks.
Some are more applicable prior to the 1981 publication date while others are still timely in the present.