Ground-breaking cartoonist Charles Schulz will be portrayed by James Froemel of Maidsville in a West Virginia Humanities Council History Alive program at the Rupert Public Library on Wednesday, Mar. 13 at 1:30 p.m. The local sponsor of the program is the Rupert Public Library.
Charles Schulz (1922-2000) was a cartoonist best known as the creator of the Peanuts comic strip that featured Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and all the rest of the gang. A veteran of World War II, Schulz’s first Peanuts strip was published in 1950 in seven newspapers. At the time of his death in 2000 it was appearing in 2,600 papers around the world. Schulz recognized that comics were not just a medium for children. His ability to connect with people through a four-panel strip using dry humor, sarcasm, wit, and melancholy resulted in an ongoing daily narrative that lasted nearly 50 years. The popularity of his characters worldwide put them in demand for television specials, merchandise, movies, books, theatrical productions, and commercials, with NASA spacecraft named in their honor.
Schulz is one of the many available character presentations offered through the West Virginia Humanities Council’s History Alive! program as a means of exploring history by interacting with noteworthy historical figures. The programs provide audiences with the opportunity to question those who have shaped our history.
Historical characterization is the vehicle for this program. Humanities scholars have carefully researched the writings, speeches and biographies of the characters they portray and whenever possible, use their original words.
The West Virginia Humanities Council is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing educational programs in the humanities for all West Virginians. For 45 years the Council has been providing educational programs in the humanities across the state.
This program is available to both nonprofit and for-profit groups. For more information call The West Virginia Humanities Council at 346-8500 or visit the website: www.wvhumanities.org