http://editorialcartoonists.com/news/article.cfm/857
Ben Sargent
Ben Sargent, who has been the editorial cartoonist for the Austin American-Statesman for the last 35 years, has opted to take what he described as a “pretty generous buyout.” His last day with the paper will be March 13th. His wife, who is the paper's longtime TV critic, is also taking a buyout.
Sargent says that management has expressed interest in buying cartoons on a contractual basis, but nothing has been finalized. Sargent is a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, taking the prize in 1982, and was a finalist in 2001 and 2002. His cartoons are currently syndicated through Universal Press.
In an e-mail to colleagues, Sargent wrote: “This is an exciting change in some ways, but wrenching in others; I've worked in a newsroom since I was 18 years old, met Diane in this place, and I've been in this particular job for 35 years. But it's been a great ride; I've worked with so many great people, and it was a pleasure and a privilege to have been part of newspapering in its glory days.
“And of course, I have a particularly special place in my heart for all of you that I've shared the cartoonist's trade with. I look forward to keeping my hand in a while longer and to seeing you all this summer and in the years to come.”
*Man, that's like seeing a stake put through the heart of the 20th century. Watching banks fail is a picnic compared to this.
