MORRIE TURNER

December 11, 1923 — January 25, 2014

Morris Nolton Turner (December 11, 1923 – January 25, 2014) was an American cartoonist, creator of the strip Wee Pals, the first American syndicated strip with an integrated cast of characters.

When I was ten or eleven years old, I was already very interest in cartooning and animation. I used to watch the Saturday Morning cartoons (back when they were good and there WAS such a thing), and not only enjoy them, but pondered how they worked. I’d never miss The Wonderful World of Disney when they were showing animated features.

That said, back then, 99% of the faces I saw were white, as well as the faces of the creators. I’d already seen a number of interviews with the likes of Charles M. Shultz, Fred Lasswell, Mort Walker, Cathy Guisewite Milton Caniff, Bil Keane, Jules Feiffer (all of whom I’ve met with the exception of Charles Shultz, but met Mort Walker twice), but never any Black faces until years later when I med Rob Armstrong. So in my young mind I thought that was a field I would never play on—until one day, I saw an interview with Morrie Turner. He was talking about his syndicated comic strip “Wee Pals”, and his upcoming animated series Kid Power. It was because of seeing him that I realized I COULD be a cartoonist, and I never looked back!

I was blessed to have been able to let him know the impact he had when it came to my cartooning. Though he and I would DEFINITELY not see eye to eye in matters of multiculturalism and such, that, at least for me—doesn’t take away from the impact seeing him had on me and what it meant to me.

Anyone who knows me, KNOWS I couldn’t care LESS about so called “celebrities”, but I have to admit that I was absolutely beside myself when he responded to me on Facebook. 

Morrie transitioned some six months later and to this day, I thank Yah that I was able to let him know what his presence in the field of cartooning meant to me.

R.I.P. Mr. Morrie Turner.