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John Callahan is coming back to life.
On Oct. 3, a group of his friends and supporters will kick off a campaign to create a Northwest Portland memorial to the carrot-topped cartoonist, who died in 2010 at age 59.
Callahan, who drew for WW for 27 years, expressed himself with quivering lines and a blunt, irreverent voice that was often at odds with Portland's chronic politeness.
A little more than three years ago, Callahan, a quadriplegic, died of complications from bedsores, a constant threat to anyone confined to a bed or wheelchair 24 hours a day.
When he was 21, Callahan was riding in a car with a friend who fell asleep at the wheel. The car crashed into a wall at 90 mph, crushing Callahan's spine.
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In an obituary, The Washington Post called him "among the most brilliant and original cartoonists who ever lived."
Good Samaritan Hospital, in the Northwest Portland neighborhood Callahan called home, has agreed to donate land on Northwest 21st Avenue for the Callahan memorial, and Portland artist Tad Savinar and landscape architect Jesse Stemmler have provided a design—complete with a wall of Callahan's work.
The kickoff to raise money for the memorial will be held at the offices of Topaz Design, at 1815 NW Overton St., on Thursday, Oct. 3, at 5 pm.
Please join us.
WWeek 2015