- Russell K. Osgood began his career as Grinnell's president at the same time as my class, in the fall of '98. Russell K. graced a few Johnny cartoons through the years, mostly because I thought that a school strip should make fun of the president now and again. I think Paul came up with the idea for "Special K" breakfast cereal, and it must have seemed like a really great idea for me to break up the Joe Cocker double episode.
- In 1998 the economy was booming, and Grinnell's endowment -- half of which is invested in the stock market -- had recently surpassed the billion dollar mark. Note that the Board of Trustees, and not Russell K., has control over the endowment.
- 000 115 459 was my student ID.
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- Cloning was big in the news back then, I think.
- Artistically, this cartoon was a departure from the others. I used a rapidograph pen instead of the usual stiff crow quill. I didn't like the result, and immediately switched back.
- I took Russell K.'s face from a photo of him I cut out of the local Grinnell paper from the first week of school. I taped it to the wall next to my drafting table and it was up there all year. But anyway, that's why his face looks the same throughout the whole cartoon.
- Grinnell had a love affair with U.S. News and World Report because it kept informing us and the world that Grinnell was a pretty fabulous place to be. We've fallen a few places since '98.
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