Dirk West
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Dirk West | |
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Mayor of Lubbock, Texas, USA | |
In office 1978–1980 | |
Preceded by | Roy Bass |
Succeeded by | Bill McAlister |
Personal details | |
Born | 1930 Littlefield, Texas |
Died | July 26, 1996 Austin, Texas |
Political party | Democratic |
Occupation | Cartoonist, journalist, actor, politician |
Gerald Glynn "Dirk" West (1930 – July 26, 1996) was an
Life
West was born October 23, 1928, in Littlefield, Texas, to James Marion and Ethel Raye Bennett West. He attended Lubbock High School and drew cartoons for the school newspaper.[1] He died of a heart attack on July 15, 1996, in Lubbock, Texas.[2]
Mascot cartoons
West's most famous works featured caricatures of the sports mascots of various universities, mostly those of the Southwest Conference (and later the Big 12 Conference), but other schools appeared as well, usually because they were playing Texas Tech. His cartoons appeared in program books, on posters, and in magazines.
Two of his characters would eventually be officially adopted by their respective universities: Texas Tech's
West drew a semi-weekly one-panel
West would alter the image of his characters over the course of a sports season. A winning team's mascot would gradually get larger and tougher, the fans of losing teams would find their mascots growing thinner as the weeks went by.
Politics
After serving several years on the local Parks and Recreation Board and the
but disliked politics so much as a result that he did not run for a second term (his single term ran from 1978 to 1980). He returned to his advertising agency and his cartooning, both of which he kept up until his death from a heart attack in 1996.An exhibition dedicated to West and his work opened September 25, 2005, at the Museum of Texas Tech University. It ran through January 2006.
References
- ^ a b c d Kerns, William (November 12, 2016). "Dirk West Exhibit ongoing proof of late cartoonist's legacy". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
- ^ Texoso, Staff (September 27, 2018). "Dirk West, Cartoonist". TEXAS HISTORY NOTEBOOK.
- ^ Husker Press Box – Whatever Happened To Harry Husker? Archived April 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cranford, Leslie. "Raider Red: From Humble Beginnings to National Champion | February | 2013 | Texas Tech Today | TTU". today.ttu.edu.