The Starkville Rotary Club meeting Monday at the Starkville Country Club was one of continuous laughter and enthusiasm as two-time Pulitzer prize finalist Marshall Ramsey spoke of his journeys as a Mississippian and cartoonist.
Ramsey, a cartoonist for The Clarion Ledger, has not only been featured by The New York Times and USA Today but also is the author of three successful cartoon collections, two short story collections and a children’s book.
Throughout his 20-year career in Mississippi, Ramsey has commented on a wide range of events with his cartoons, including the tragedies of 9/11 and recently, the Mississippi State University’s women’s basketball historic win over the University of Connecticut in the national semifinals.
Speaking of his time in Mississippi, Ramsey said the state has been good to him, so he’s stayed despite having options to go other places.
“To be honest, this is a very giving state,” Ramsey said. “Whether it is giving after a disaster or just giving when I need cartoons. It is always good.”
Ramsey credited his positive outlook of the state to his time covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which is when, he said, he finally realized the truth about Mississippi.
“When things get bad, we (Mississippi) get good,” Ramsey said.
He also shared with Rotarians stories about his late father, Dave Ramsey, while Marshall battled malignant melanoma.
Ramsey said one of the greatest pieces of advice his father shared with him was after a water skiing trip following his melanoma surgery.
“Make the story about how you got up, not how you fell down,” Ramsey recalled.
Ramsey spoke about his hardest cartoons, which were during the times of the 9/11 coverage. He said it was a time where he did not show the toughness of the situation.
The end results were images of the Statue of Liberty crouching down and an eagle head made up of “the faces of America.”
“It wasn’t hard because I was worried about how good of a job I would do,” Ramsey said. “It was hard because I just wanted to be with my family that day. ”
Covering Hurricane Katrina proved difficult for Ramsey as well, however, he said seeing his cartoons stapled to the sides of different trailers after the destruction has meant the most to him throughout his career.
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