C14. I Go Pogo: Walt Kelly & the World's Greatest Comic Strip

From 1948 until his death in 1975, Walt Kelly gave us Pogo, arguably the best comic strip ever. Ever-lovin’ Blue-Eyed Pogo Possum lived in the lushly illustrated Okefenokee Swamp with buddies Churchy La Femme, Albert Alligator, the forever convoluted bats, Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered, and countless other characters and caricatures. We’ll learn about Kelly’s life, his time in the Disney Studio, his daily and full-page color Sunday strips, his politics that drew fire from left and right, innumerable side projects, and that holiday classic “Deck Us All with Boston Charlie.” The strips made us laugh and made us think. 

Instructor: Karl Hakkarainen is retired after a 40-year career in the computer industry. A graduate of Amherst College, he is a long-time WISE instructor who has taught courses on technology, history, journalism, music, and law. His grandchildren still ask for and generally heed his advice with their technology concerns. He was born in Gardner, Massachusetts.