The sound of artistic minds conversing, echoed throughout Orr Street as many people converged to celebrate the 80th birthday of 20th century cartooning icon Frank Stack.

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and an army veteran, Stack began to use the pen name of Foolbert Sturgeon for publishing controversial works in the deep south, including his religious satire comics “The Adventures of Jesus”, “Jesus Meets the Armed Services”, and “Jesus Goes To The Faculty Party” all of which contained critiques of various aspects of 60’s society. Stack also contributed to the long-running American Splendor series, a visual autobiography of another comic writer, Harvey Parker, that was drawn by Stack and other artists such as Robert Crumb and Gary Dumm. Stack was also formerly employed as an art professor at the University of Missouri for four years, and has frequently been a panelist at various Comic-Cons.

When asked if he had any message for the students of Hickman High School, he provided a bit of sage advice.

“My heroes have always been artists, not sportsmen, politicians, or that shit.”

He then provided a bit of sage advice on the role that an artist plays in our world. “You’re going to ask yourself who [you are] doing this for,” he said, “[But] you don’t know. It’s not just for yourself, it’s for people who are share your values that you don’t know about. Speak not to society, but for it. You’re part of it.”