"He's Fading Away..." (original editorial cartoon)

Robert "Bob" Duane Zschiesche

Likely a tribute to former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower around the time of his death. In the lower left background is Richard Nixon and Arizona senator Barry Goldwater, who was a Major General; in the lower right foreground, Lyndon Johnson. Bob Zschiesche was known for his work on the long-running comic Gasoline Alley in the 1950s and 60s, and briefly in the 1970s. However, was best remembered after his death in 1996 for his comic strips for the Greensboro Daily News in North Carolina. These single-panel comics often pertained to everyday local events, as well as political commentary.

"He's Fading Away..." features the ghostly form of General Eisenhower in his military regalia, saluting the viewer. In the foreground are the men who at the time of the comic's publication were dealing with the Vietnam War, including presidents Johnson and Nixon whose respective terms ended and began as Eisenhower's health declined. The figure in the right background, standing with Johnson, might be William Westmoreland, commander of the U.S. forces during the war.

Cartoonist Robert "Bob" Duane Zschiesche was born in Prophetstown, Illinois, in 1929. He attended the University of Illinois for one semester, working as a cartoonist for the campus paper, the Daily Illini. He then moved to Chicago and enrolled at the Art Institute, graduating around 1949. He was then tapped to work on Frank King's famed "Gasoline Alley" syndicated strip. From 1950 to 1963 Zschiesche lived and worked in Florida, working for King and then his successor, Dick Moore.

In 1963 Zschiesche's focus turned to political cartooning. He began working for the Greensboro Daily News in North Carolina and, as the Vietnam War began ramping up - along with its opposition - Zschiesche's editorial cartoons regarding Lyndon Johnson and his cabinet bolstered his reputation as one of the nation's leading comic artists. Later, one such cartoon from 1967 was featured in the National Archives commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights.

Among Zschiesche's syndicated comics were "Our Folks," "Harley Hogg," and a collaboration with cartoonist Fred Lasswell called "Snuffy Smith" for which Zschiesche faxed in his contributions from his home to Illinois to Lasswell in Florida.

Zschiesche died on April 12, 1996. His work is included in the collection of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum at Ohio State University.