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RFT Asks: What’s It Like Drawing the Post-Dispatch Weatherbird? | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

February 9, 2023

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click to enlarge Dan Martin Cartoonist Dan Martin has been drawing the Weatherbird for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for decades.

Every day, a cartoon bird appears on the front page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch doing something different –– swinging a bat, commenting on national politics, flying a helicopter. Well, we don’t really need to explain, because if you’re from St. Louis, you’ll know what we’re talking about. The Weatherbird is St. Louis.

But the 121-year-old bird doesn’t appear out of thin air. It is the work of Dan Martin, 65, who has amassed nearly 13,000 Weatherbird illustrations over his 43-year tenure at the daily. He’s the sixth artist to draw the bird since Harry Martin first began the tradition in 1901.

On Monday, Martin announced his semi-retirement. Although he will continue to draw the Weatherbird daily, he will cease his additional duties as a cartoonist and designer for the Post-Dispatch. We spoke with Martin on Tuesday to learn more about the Weatherbird, his decision to (mostly) retire and what he plans to do with his newfound time.

What have the last couple of days been like for you?

The last couple of days, but especially yesterday, has been sort of a whirlwind. It was my birthday and my retirement day at the same time. There was the newsroom sheet cake ceremony and many kind words said by colleagues. In one sense, it’s a little bittersweet, all this retirement, because one of my mentors Al Schweitzer just died last week. I thought it was interesting that he saw my first day of work and he came within a week of seeing my last day at work. But it’s been wonderful, and I’m pleased as hell that the paper still wants to hire me as a freelancer to continue drawing the Weatherbird.

What led you to make this move to semi-retirement?

The biggest one is that I turned 65. There’s too many fish to be caught, naps to be taken, so I wanted to retire. When I was discussing this with [Editor in Chief] Alan Achkar beforehand, he says, “Would you be interested in freelancing [the Weatherbird],” because they want to continue this great tradition. And I said, “Sure.” So I joined a small geezer club of Bill McClellan, who still writes a column part-time, and Rick Hummel, who will still be writing about baseball part-time also.

J.B. Forbes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch Dan Martin announced his retirement from a full-time position at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Monday.

What are you hoping to do in retirement?I’m a member of a couple of charitable boards that I plan on being more active in –– one of them being the St. Louis Media History Foundation. Then I’m on the board of the St. Louis Mercantile Library. A big part of my early retirement here is going to be organizing the Weatherbirds. I have all of Amadee Wohlschlaeger’s birds and all of Al [Schweitzer]’s birds, as well as all of my birds. We’re in the process of migrating those up to the permanent collection at the St. Louis Mercantile Library. Then I’ve got some volunteer opportunities, and I want to take more naps and I want to go fishing more.

What is your process drawing the Weatherbird? I deal with Brent Fisher, the night city editor, who knows what’s on the front page that day. The Weatherbird always has to comment or relate to something on the front page. He sends me a budget of what’s going to be on page one and I look through what I think might be the best bird subject, and then he says OK, and then I draw it here at home. I’ve been working at home during the pandemic for the past two and a half years.

I still draw it the old-fashioned way. I do it with pencil and ink on Strathmore drawing paper. From the studio here at home, I scan it into the Mac, and then I color-break it, and I’ll send it to Brent, and he’ll put it into the system. I’ll write about a dozen potential bird lines and he’ll pick one of those, and that’s what he’ll type in the drawing itself in the paper.

What kept you at the Post-Dispatch for all of these decades?

One, I really liked the work. I had worked for papers at Lindbergh High School and at St. Louis Community College–Meramec, and when I went on to the University of Kansas, I went to work for the Daily Kansan. I did that thinking that those would be good places to get a published print piece that would get me freelance work. But once I got into the atmosphere of the newsroom, I just really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the people –– an interesting, eclectic bunch of co-workers. I was drawing cartoons. It was fun.

The other factor is, I’m a seventh-generation Missourian and all my family’s in Missouri or St. Louis. The paper was paying pretty well then and I couldn’t see moving on to Chicago or New York when all my roots were here in Missouri.

Looking back, what are some of your favorite illustrations that you’ve done?

Oh, that’s a tough one. That’s like choosing your favorite child. Well, it’s a cliche answer, but I’m going to say that my favorite drawing is the one I’m going to do tonight. I always look ahead and I think I can do the next one better.

I’ve done everything from murder and gangster trials in courtrooms to Cardinal baseball. I’ve also enjoyed doing feature illustrations working for the St. Louis Life section. I did a lot of deadlines work during the World Series for our digital product. It’s kind of hard to choose, but I hope the thing I’m doing this upcoming week for St. Louis Life will be as good as anything I’ve drawn. I really try to strive to get better every day.

What do you want readers to know about what goes into the illustrations that you do on a daily basis?

I want them to know that this is the oldest continuously drawn daily cartoon in American journalism. A lot of people don’t realize that –– that we take pride in that at the Post-Dispatch. People say, “Why is it even there?” But it’s really no different than the New York Times running their famous box –– “All the news that’s fit to print” at the top of the page. And I want them to know that it’s done on daily deadlines. So it’s unique to St. Louis and we do it every day.

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

10 months ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.

Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.

The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.

The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.

This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.

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Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

Published

10 months ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.

“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”

He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”

The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”

Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”

The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.

Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”

In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.

“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”

Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”

Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.

“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.

Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)

One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.

Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.

“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”

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St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

10 months ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

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The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.

The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.

The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.

The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.

To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”

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