Dear Friends of the Good Old Days,
We were saddened to hear of Bob's recent passing. He leaves behind an enduring legacy of having preserved in poignant humor and wit the rural life known and loved by so many us.
Bob was born July 1, 1917, on the family farm five miles west of Hampton, Iowa. If you have been a reader of "Memories of a Former Kid" for very long, you know Bob. The cartoon was and is basically autobiographical as it details life on that Midwestern patch of land -- land that Bob came to know like the back of his own hand.
Bob became known for his editorial cartoons in the Des Moines Tribune, and later, the Worthington (Iowa) Daily Globe. He and his wife, Virginia, owned a newspaper and printing concern in Adrian, Minn. In 1971, Bob began to do commercial and cartoon work for the Daily Globe, which led to exclusive work with that newspaper. It was in his tenure with the Daily Globe that Bob began inking "Memories of a Former Kid." In 1978 he published a book by the same name, a compilation of some of the early cartoons he had drawn.
Life wasn't always easy for Bob and his family. He lost his beloved Ginnie to Alzheimer's disease, a trial that was the genesis of another book, Ginnie: A Love Remembered. In total, he authored 14 books, mainly compiling his cartoon work, and several of those books remain in print today. You can see prints of his work in banks, schools and libraries across the country. His work is even featured in the Smithsonian Institution.
When Bob died late last year at the age of 94, he was literally a patriarch -- a beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He is survived by his second wife, Margaret, three children, five step-children, 11 grandchildren, 10 step-grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and 12 step-great-grandchildren. But he is also survived by a body of work that will be revered for many generations to come.
Janice and I never had the pleasure to meet Bob Artley. We are poorer for that. But we -- and you who will continue to read of the exploits of Bob and his family in the panels we will continue to feature -- are richer for the fact that he penned those wonderful memories of a former kid back in the Good Old Days.
'Til next time,
Ken Tate, editor
Ken and Janice Tate are the editors of Good Old Days and Looking Back magazines. They were both born and raised in the Ozark Mountains; he in southern Missouri and she in northern Arkansas. They met and fell in love when Janice was a senior in high school and married when she was 18 years old.
They raised three children while Ken worked for newspapers and magazines-from the Ozarks to California to Texas. After the children were older, Janice was always at his side working on the publications he edited. Together, they have edited the Good Old Days line of magazines and books for over two decades. Through the magazines, books and his Looking Back e-newsletter, Ken has become one of the most popular nostalgic authors in North America. Ken hopes to still be editing the magazines when Good Old Days reaches its 50th anniversary in 2014.
Today, the Tates live on a 400-acre beef ranch that has been in their family for four generations. They still enjoy working outdoors on the farm, and Janice enjoys sewing and quilting. Headed toward their fifth decade of marriage, they say their biggest joy is spending time together, whether it's on the farm, in the garden, or working on one of their magazines or books.
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