Cartoon by Brock Artis
It was with great sadness that The Bulletin learned last Friday that Paul Edwards, the man who created Corky the Hornet, had died at 103.
We offer our condolences to the family and friends of Edwards during this time, and we want to express our sincerest gratitude for all that he has done for The Bulletin and for ESU’s campus.
Edwards first drew Corky in 1933 when he was a freshman at ESU, which was then the Kansas State Teachers College.
After losing a contest to draw ESU’s mascot, he decided to try again, bringing his drawing of Corky to The Bulletin so that students could revote. He won this second vote, and soon began regularly drawing Corky for a cartoon in The Bulletin.
Corky is our oldest friend, and he has been featured in Bulletin cartoons for nearly 90 years.
We have laughed with him and cried with him.
We have asked Corky to communicate our anger and frustration as well as our joys and our triumphs.
Corky stands up for the students and fights for their best interests. He is a true friend to the campus and to The Bulletin.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Edwards. He was able to create a legacy on this campus with just a doodle of a cartoon hornet published in the student newspaper in 1933.
Edwards continued to draw new versions of Corky for ESU for decades. He never stopped caring about Corky and about ESU.
In The Bulletin office we proudly display, and will always display, a large, signed drawing of Corky wearing a “Press” hat and wielding a camera. We are extremely grateful for Edwards’ devotion to the campus and to Corky.
Paul Edwards will always be remembered at ESU as the man behind the mascot, and Corky will continue to be an integral part of our paper.