Friends of former Association of American Editorial Cartoonists president and State Press and East Valley Tribune political cartoonist Mike Ritter gathered April 3 to commemorate his work and announce the Ritter Memorial Scholarship in his memory.
Ritter died at age 48 on March 30, 2014, leaving behind many cartoons and political insights. A handful of these incisive cartoons played in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication's First Amendment Forum as scholarship organizer and Ritter's former State Press colleague Brian Tassinari announced the launch of the scholarship.
“(Ritter) was so insightful, and his talent as an artist was so powerful that, literally with a glance, he could convey images and ideas that would take somebody, with the written word, paragraphs,” Tassinari said. “For example, when Gov. (Evan) Mecham was up for impeachment, some of Mike’s cartoons just showed the buffoonery of that governor at a glance, while if you had to write a story on it, you would need to write 20 paragraphs to convey what Mike was able to convey at just a glance.”
Ritter had been cartooning since he could remember, ambitiously working toward his goal as a cartoonist, his older brother William said.
In high school, Ritter became more serious about his work. He even sent "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz his drawings to critique, Ritter's older sister Elizabeth Hardy said.
“Charles was sort of his mentor," she said. "He would evaluate Michael’s cartoons and send them back with really useful comments."
Ritter then worked for The State Press, where his passion for political cartooning began, from 1986 to 1990. He later moved on to work as a cartoonist at the East Valley Tribune, where his work became well known and was syndicated in newspapers across the country.
However, his work with The State Press continues to resonate with his peers even today, said Darrin Hostetler, who was Ritter's editor-in-chief.
“He was more than just a cartoonist, he was a leader of the paper and he was sort of the spiritual center of paper for so many years,” Hostetler said.
Ritter’s work with The State Press prompted Tassinari to gear the scholarship toward not just journalism students, but any ASU student involved with the State Press.
The scholarship would also provide funds for those journalists looking to pursue stories outside of the area that would require traveling fees. Tassinari raised $47,000 for the scholarship before the event, with guests contributing additional funds.
While speaking to the group of friends and State Press alumni gathered, Tassinari revealed a plaque that would be held in the publication's downtown newsroom, adding that he hoped Ritter’s legacy in political commentary would live on.
“His professional legacy — well, he is without question one of the most successful journalists to ever come out of Arizona State University,” Tassinari said. “He also had a very specialized niche. That make his success even more difficult because there are very few positions available in the cartooning world and he was able to be successful and nationally syndicated for years.”
Reach the reporter at megan.janetsky@asu.edu or follow @meganjanetsky on Twitter.
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