HALLIE EPHRON: As most of you who've hung around this blog any amount of time know, my sweet husband, Jerry Touger, was a brilliant cartoonist.
He was never without a pencil or his weapon of choice: a BIC pen. And in a life filled with boring academic meetings, after completing the day's crossword puzzles in record (and recorded) time, he had ample opportunity to doodle.
As far as I can tell, he never threw any of his doodles away. I love them all, and this leaves me with the onerous task of trying to figure out what to do with all of them.
I've scanned ALL the Christmas, New Years, Thanksgiving, birthday, Valentines Day, and Mother's Day cards he made for me and copied them onto flash drives for my daughters.
Add to that a gazillion printed meeting agendas with doodles all around the edges, some are recognizable colleagues.
My favorites are the many miscellaneous drawings of highly opinionated rats.
Why rats, you ask. Beats me.
Today I'll share some of them with you... Largely his rats were dyspeptic, as this pair...
But they could also be graceful.
(One of his pet names for me was SMEDLEY. Why? Again I have no idea.)
He even illustrated his INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS text with cartoon rats
Do you doodle? Have a loved one who does? I'm sure you agree those drawings are not only a precious legacy but a window to the soul.
Jerry's was a goofy, sweet place.
Thank you for sharing your precious drawings with us, Hallie . . . .
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a doodler . . . art/drawing does not seem to be a talent I possess. But I do enjoy seeing other peoples' doodles . . . .
I've always loved the drawings of his that you've shared here, Hallie, and I love that he even illustrated his physics textbook with them. I don't doodle much anymore, but I did back in the day job when I had boring meetings to sit through. Mine ran more to stick figures, though.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful memories your husband’s drawings hold for you!
ReplyDeleteWhen I doodle it is usually just some sort of geometric patterns. When I am feeling fancy I draw flowers. No cartoons and nothing that would ever be worth saving.
The first one reminds me of an employee review meeting I was once subjected to. The second resembles Marco Rubio and JD Vance when they are acknowledged in a cabinet meeting. The third is just sweet and lovely. And could the fourth be Donald Trump on his last day in office when it all comes tumbling down? (For the past fifteen months or so, I bleakly see politics in just about everything.. A major character defect, I'm sure.)
ReplyDeleteRather than goofy -- although I'm sure he could be that -- I see him as a keen-eyed observer of all that surrounded him. A man of great talent, compassion, and integrity. You were lucky to/ have him.
Hallie, you know I adore Jerry's rats! So glad you got them saved for the kids. Now to write your graphic novel!!
ReplyDeleteI do love the dancing rats! They make me happy this gray morning in Maine. I started serious doodling during covid zoom meetings to stay awake ... it works, no one could "catch" me, and I will never be an artist.
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