A few years ago I had the opportunity to meet Pat Bagley. What an honor — and what a hoot and a holler!
He came to speak to our HOA association. He was having a little trouble with his video presentation and I was able to figure it out so he could proceed, which he did, showing slide after slide of his incredible cartoons, explaining each cartoon and his thoughts and motives behind it. Wow!
When he was finished and the meeting had ended, he pulled out a copy of his cartoon with the caption: “What terrifies religious extremists like the Taliban are not American tanks or bombs or bullets. It’s a girl with a book.” The cartoon was of Malala Yousafzai, which he had drawn a few short days after she had been shot in the face.
He signed it and gave it to me as a thank you for helping him out. Double wow!
We asked him where he got his ideas. He laughed and said something like, “read the newspapers, watch the news, but mostly stay curious to what is happening around you. There is enough ‘life’ always going on to provide ideas forever and ever.”
His deep understanding of politics, both local and federal, is evident in the way he deciphers what is happening in the “affairs of state” and what the effects will be on all of us. He sticks his finger in the air and with his uncanny sense of determining which way the wind is blowing he can make out the story that should be told.
He has the artistic ability to draw his vision. We all recognize immediately his short, blue suit/red tie, little fat man with really thick lips and round glasses as one of our illustrious legislators. And the tall, skinny, bald, wide-eyed, naïve-looking grin of our governor. And the short, blue suit/long red tie trailing on the ground, blush-colored face with squinty eyes and a shock of yellow hair brushed over his forehead — guess who?
It doesn’t matter the idea — the satire either digs deep into someone’s gut or digs under your funny bone — or both. And his ability to artistically draw his ideas onto a piece of paper that sends a deliberate message — to someone — should boggle the minds of all of us.
Pat — we all applaud and support you in your retirement decision to move to Portugal! You tell us you will still be drawing editorial cartoons for us, but probably not as many. We are grateful for whatever we can get!! We love you and thank you for what you have given us these past years!
Utah is fortunate to have and embrace many treasures — Zions Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef National Park — and — Pat Bagley!
So here’s a toast to you, Pat! Long may you draw!
Karen Post, Sandy
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