The North Dakota Forum editorial cartoonist Steve Stark is retiring after 34 years.
Steve Stark was an early cartoonist while a student at NDSU on The Spectrum student newspaper in the 1970s.
Later, Steve began his editorial cartooning in earnest at the Lake County News Chronicle, a weekly newspaper in Two Harbors, Minn. While in Two Harbors he soon became publisher of that county newspaper.
There, on the North Shore of Lake Superior he also contributed cartoons to daily newspapers, The Hibbing Daily News, and The Duluth News Tribune.
When he and his wife moved back to Fargo a few years later, he started as an editorial cartoonist for The Forum on a regular basis.
In the F-M area he also contributed editorial cartoons to West Fargo publications as well as the Grand Forks Herald and others.
Steve continues to draw cartoons for The Forum on a weekly basis and estimates he has published over 4,000 editorial cartoons since he began years ago.
Steve, in his role as historian, also performs historical presentations.
October 22 update:
The Forum has a feature story about Steve’s retirement.
Stark’s career path, which included stints as a weekly newspaper publisher, associate creative director, senior copywriter and communications specialist, ultimately led him to become an editorial cartoonist for The Forum starting in 1989.
Now, after more than five decades, that cavalcade of cartoons is coming to a halt. Stark’s final editorial cartoon for The Forum is published Saturday, Oct. 22.
At age 72, the lingering effects of a stroke he suffered three years ago persuaded Stark that the time was right to retire from what has been his life’s passion.
“I’m voluntarily giving up on cartooning simply because I’m so tired,” he said. “They’re taking so much time to produce. It’s just hard for me. I think it’s just time for me to give it up, although I just adore it.”
After dabbling in editorial cartoons in high school and at North Dakota State University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in speech and theater, Stark’s passion for drawing became his profession at the Lake County News Chronicle on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
He also published editorial cartoons in the Duluth News Tribune and Hibbing Daily News. After working as a cartoonist and columnist, the editor of the Lake County News Chronicle departed, and Stark was elevated to publisher, supervising a staff of four full-time employees for several years.