Home
Cartoons and Ministry – An Unusual Mix of Callings
CHICAGO (February 2, 2000) - One man became a minister, his first calling, while strongly drawn to art and cartooning. The other became a cartoonist, while strongly drawn to the ministry. They sometimes felt their roles were reversed.
Charles Schulz, creator of the internationally famous PEANUTS comic strip, died at his home in Santa Rosa, California at the age of 77 on February 12 after a long battle with colon cancer. While scores mourned his death and the end of his long-running comic strip, one Covenant family held special memories of friendship from years past.
Roger Palmquist, a longtime Covenant pastor on the East Coast, became a friend of Schulz in the 1950s. According to Lois Palmquist, his wife, the relationship between Roger and Charles Schulz began as pen pals. At the time, Schulz was living in Minnesota, drawing what was then known as the Lil Folks cartoon strip.
"My dad had written to Schulz after reading some of the cartoons that seemed to reflect Christian thinking," Eric Palmquist said. After some correspondence, Schulz extended an invitation to visit when he came to Minnesota. He did, and they became friends. Shortly after, Schulz invited Palmquist to handle some of his comic book work through United Features Syndicate and Roger agreed, quickly becoming enamored with drawing the PEANUTS characters.
Roger Palmquist finished seminary at North Park in 1948, and began his first full-time pastorate in Waltham, Massachusetts, a year later . But, he never gave up his love for drawing. In 1958 he took a sabbatical and spent time with Schulz in Sebastopol, California, where Schulz lived on a property called "Coffee Grounds." While on his sabbatical, Palmquist took art courses in San Francisco and seminary classes in nearby San Anselmo, while continuing his friendship with Schulz.
Lois visited Roger in Sebastopol and describes Schulz as thoughtful, pensive and totally unaffected by his fame. She still has a few cartoons that Schulz drew for her during that time. When Roger died, Schulz sent a letter of condolence.
Palmquist returned to Waltham and married in 1959. He served as pastor at Covenant Congregational Church until 1963. He seldom saw Schulz after that, but kept up his own art skills, eventually combining his calling of ministry and art during the next ten years. He traveled extensively throughout the East Coast conducting "picture sermons," using his chalk drawings for visual insight. He also did interim pastor work and for nine summers was manager of Pilgrim Pines Conference Center in West Swanzey, New Hampshire.
Traveling from church to church with his large easel, Palmquist drew cartoons and caricatures and spoke while he was illustrating. His final drawing was a pastel painting that was central to the theme and was complete with colored lighting. During his final drawing he sang while accompanied by his wife on the piano.
As time went on, Palmquist would do less drawing in his ministry. He went back into pastoral ministry and served churches in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Bedford, New Hampshire. Having studied architecture, Roger helped in the building of the new Bethany Church, his final pastorate. He continued to find ways to use his gift for family, through designing the family Christmas and birthday cards and letters. The talent rubbed off on his son, who studied Fine Art at North Park University and received the senior Art scholarship award for his portfolio.
Now, Eric draws the family Christmas card and follows his father, grandfather and great-grandfather as he pursues a Master of Divinity degree from North Park Theological Seminary. While he thinks fondly of Schulz on the occasion of his death, he has also been able to better appreciate his father and his contributions during this period.
Besides his work with Schulz, Roger Palmquist illustrated many books. Eric saw those talents evidenced in the hand-drawn letterhead, cartoons depicting family happenings, and caricatures of the family cat in letters he received from his father. He also recalls that his father had "a sense of humor that would not quit. All who knew him would attest to that."
"When I was in elementary school, he would draw the book covers," Eric continued. "Once he drew a picture on the cover of my reading book with Snoopy on top of his doghouse - reading a book. I didn't know what it was like to have a father who didn't do this kind of stuff. I had this stuff all over the place!"
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
