1960s
Harry Fitch, BFA ’68, Peachtree City, GA, has published his third novel, Desk Pilot (under his pen name, Harry Ernest Fitch), through Amazon Publishing. Although it deals primarily with events that take place while its protagonist serves in the Air Force during the 1960s, Kent State plays a prominent role in the story of its first-person narrator.
Tom Batiuk, BFA ’69, Medina, OH, announced last year that he would end his award-winning comic strip Funky Winkerbean on Dec. 31, 2022 (after 50 years of publication) because there was no succession plan in place. However, he continues to work on completing the Winkerbean compilation book series, published by Kent State University Press, which will take the series through its end in 2022. (Volume 12, the most recent, covers 2005–2007. Volume 13, slated to drop the first of next year, covers 2008–2010.)
He also plans to organize all his Winkerbean strips and research materials so they’re ready for donating to Kent State University Libraries, where they will be archived and saved for research purposes. He keeps in touch with fans through a monthly email newsletter, blog and social media posts. Learn more at www.tombatiuk.com.
Read about Batiuk’s collaboration with grade school students in the spring/summer 2020 issue of Kent State Magazine.