November 22 is a significant date for Andy Donato for two reasons.
It was the date U.S. president John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. It’s also when Donato, the veteran Toronto Sun cartoonist, will be inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame.
“When (JFK died), I was working at the Telegram and that was my first real event that happened to me that really got me interested in news and politics,” Donato, 79, said Wednesday.
“I wound up having to hand-letter the headline, ‘Kennedy Shot, Dies’ because they didn’t have type big enough in the composing room for the front page. It was just five months after that when I drew my first editorial cartoon that was published in the Telegram, and Time Magazine picked it up.”
The Toronto Press Club named Donato, as well as John Fraser, as this year’s inductees. A gala dinner is scheduled at Toronto’s National Club for November 22.
“It was quite an honour,” Donato said. “I think (longtime Sun colleague) Mark Bonokoski was one of the ones instrumental in pushing for it. I understand it was unanimous when my name came up. I’ve been 53 years doing cartoons and I’ll keep on going.”
Donato joined the Toronto Telegram in 1956 as a freelance artist and the Toronto Sun when it launched in 1971. Three years later, he started cartooning full-time and has been appearing in the Sun ever since.
Some of his accolades include a National Newspaper Award and an award from the Montreal Salon of Cartoons.
“Andy has had a legendary career and his pen remains a sharp and deadly instrument,” said James Wallace, Postmedia’s vice-president of the Suns editorial departments. “He’s tremendously deserving of this great honour and we’re all proud of him.”
The Toronto Press Club named Donato, as well as John Fraser, as this year’s inductees. A gala dinner is scheduled at Toronto’s National Club for November 22.
“It was quite an honour,” Donato said. “I think (longtime Sun colleague) Mark Bonokoski was one of the ones instrumental in pushing for it. I understand it was unanimous when my name came up. I’ve been 53 years doing cartoons and I’ll keep on going.”
Donato joined the Toronto Telegram in 1956 as a freelance artist and the Toronto Sun when it launched in 1971. Three years later, he started cartooning full-time and has been appearing in the Sun ever since.
Some of his accolades include a National Newspaper Award and an award from the Montreal Salon of Cartoons.
“Andy has had a legendary career and his pen remains a sharp and deadly instrument,” said James Wallace, Postmedia’s vice-president of the Suns editorial departments. “He’s tremendously deserving of this great honour and we’re all proud of him.”
UPDATE
"Sun cartoonist Andy Donato inducted into Canadian News Hall of Fame" in the Toronto Sun.
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