Remembering Vancouver Sun cartoonist Roy Peterson

By Bob Krieger, for The Tyee

Aside from being an incredibly kind, humble, hilarious, brilliant and elegant gentleman, Roy Peterson happened to be a world class editorial cartoonist. He won more National Newspaper Awards than any other journalist, the Order of Canada, and more awards and honours than he or a mathematician could count.

By Bob Krieger, for The Tyee

Aside from being an incredibly kind, humble, hilarious, brilliant and elegant gentleman, Roy Peterson happened to be a world class editorial cartoonist. He won more National Newspaper Awards than any other journalist, the Order of Canada, and more awards and honours than he or a mathematician could count.

Roy Peterson was born in Winnipeg in 1936. He died Monday, Sept. 30, joining the love of his life, Margaret, and leaving two sons, three daughters, nine grandchildren and a massive hole in journalism business.

I, like dozens of the next generation of cartoonists throughout North America, was awed by Roy's singular talent, but more amazed by his grace and generosity. He was an icon and a hero to all of us, but he always went out of his way to make us feel like equals.

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Roy's career at the Vancouver Sun came to an abrupt and shocking end after 47 years. He remained the epitome of dignity and decency until the day he left us.

The Tyee asked me to put together some of my favourite Peterson cartoons, which you can see in the gallery. Younger readers may not understand all of these 'toons, so I encourage them to get on the interwebs and Google them. But for geezers like me who remember the '60s, '70s and '80s, they should bring back some fond memories.

It was no easy task to narrow it down. Roy was almost as great a cartoonist as he was a human being.