Charlie Brown
Yesterday afternoon we spent visiting with the larger-than-life versions of Charlie Brown and Lucy VanPelt, Snoopy and Woodstock, and the rest of the “Peanuts” gang at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa. So, so, SO much fun! We felt a little like we were in the middle of one of the comic strips.
We were with my childhood friend, Nan, and her husband, Jack. Of our “party of four,” Nan and I were the only ones who have known one another since ‘B.C’ – before Charlie Brown – and, for that matter, before my own son Charlie. Nevertheless, visiting the museum was one of those shared cultural experiences that transcend the years. There wasn’t a person in the place, friend or stranger, with whom we weren’t “bonded” through the creativity of Charles “Sparky” Schulz.
Charlie Brown came into the world in 1950 – six years before my own son’s birth. I must have been aware of “Peanuts” by the time I began teaching in 1961, but I have no clear memory of our meeting. What I do remember is that Mr. Schulz, himself, visited the school where I was teaching in 1962.
He did an assembly for the entire student body. I remember that it was held in the gym/auditorium, that the kids sat on the floor and he sat in a chair and drew on a large tablet of paper as he talked, holding up each drawing to illustrate his points. Afterwards, he signed those drawings and gave them out to kids who caught his eye.
I’m not sure how our little Southgate School in the Hayward Unified School District scored a visit from him. It was the year his first book, Happiness is a Warm Puppy, came out so it’s possible that he was on a sort of book tour set up by his publisher. I only remember that I was sorry my own Charlie, who was in first grade in the neighboring Castro Valley District, had not experienced the same assembly.
As I recall, Mr. Schulz talked about the day-to-day business of doing his comic strip. He told the kids that he “went to work” every day just like their fathers did (it was the “Leave it to Beaver” era when most kids had stay-at-home-moms and fathers who worked in nine-to-five jobs). He told them he put in an eight hour day, every day, whether he had an idea or not. He said that some days he didn’t have much to show for his eight hours but that pitting in the time was necessary to the creative process. I’ve never forgotten those comments.
We left the museum in a state of bemusement – each of us hugging our own memories connected with Charlie Brown. I’m so glad Nan and Jack suggested the ‘field trip.’ It was perfect – not a single “Good Grief!” moment the entire afternoon.
What a treat! Charlie Brown is just a few years older than I. He and the gang have always been a part of my life. Wish I had visited the museum when I lived in CA. Maybe it will be another reason to visit (along with my daughter, who lives in Oakland). How lucky your school was to have been able to see and listen to Mr. Schultz. I do believe the man was a creative genius.
I learned to love the Peanuts gang from my father who loved them. He read the Sunday funnies to me when I was little and all the greeting cards he sent to me as an adult were Peanuts cards. I reciprocated on his birthday and Fathers Day and it still is hard for me to pass up a Peanuts Fathers Day card. I get wistful. If I ever make it back to that neck of the woods I will have to go to the museum and look for both of us. Thank you for sharing your experience.