Holiday Front Pages Celebrate 50 Years Of Talent

By Nancy K. Crevier

“The Bee deeply appreciates the talents of Paul Webb, Lee Lorenz and Dana Fradon, and is delighted to bring their holiday greetings to their fellow Newtowners. While these nationally known cartoonists have widely differing styles, the trio has in common a gentle touch of humor that can give Newtown a new perspective on its fortes and foibles.” So, in the December 25, 1959, issue, Editor Paul S. Smith introduced the tradition of showcasing local and regional art talent as cover art for each Christmas issue of The Newtown Bee, a tradition that has endured for 50 years.

Artists have included Harrie Wood, Joseph Boyce, Frank Mack, Robert Rickwell, Ted Swigart, Laine Roundy, Dawn Aquilina, John Coutinho, David Merrill, Lynn Johnson, Tanya Rotella, Ross MacDonald, and Steven Kellogg.

“I did [the cover designs] out of a warm affection for The Bee,” said Mr Kellogg. “The Bee is a wonderful way of defining the town, a sort of weekly ‘meeting place’ for the town. I was honored and flattered to be a part of it. It was a chance to celebrate in the season and I really enjoyed it,” he said.

There were certain influences when seeking inspiration for the drawings, said Mr Kellogg. He tried to work in Newtown-like features, and one year his invitation coincided with the publication of his book, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. That cover featured Santa soaring over the familiar steeples and housetops of Newtown — but his sleigh was led not by Rudolph, but by a bee. Mr Kellogg’s front-page art was later turned into limited edition posters, sold to support the Children’s Room of the C.H. Booth Library.

Ross MacDonald penned the 2007 and 2008 front-page drawings for The Newtown Bee Christmas editions. “My approach to both covers was to try to avoid the usual gaudy trappings associated with the holidays. It seems like there’s always a huge buildup to Christmas — the shopping, Christmas music 24/7, holiday parties, and school events. Things get busier and more frantic as Christmas approaches, the air is thick with anticipation, and then suddenly: Christmas Eve is here,” he said. It is that brief, quiet moment that Mr MacDonald has sought to capture for his contributions to The Bee. Santa skating off on the Ram Pasture pond in 2007 was a particularly poignant memorial to Bee sports editor Kim Harmon, who had died unexpectedly that December.

Mr Webb, Mr Lorenz, and Mr Fradon were the original trio of artists for the Christmas edition cover for four years. Still drawing and still living in the area, Mr Lorenz and Mr Fradon recalled their initial agreements to be a part of what would become a regular, yearly treat for readers.

“It seemed like a nice thing to do,” said Mr Fradon. “The other contributors, like Paul Webb and Lee Lorenz, were close friends of mine. Also, Newtown was a much smaller town then, and it all had the aura of a family affair,” he recalled.

“I made some attempt to tie the cover to the town and what was going on in Newtown at the time,” Mr Lorenz said, and added a humorous recollection of his early encounters with then-editor Paul Smith.

“The reason I did the covers is not complicated: Paul Smith asked me. It was as simple as that. But Mr Smith was extremely tight, as people knew, and after doing the covers for a few years I said to him one day, ‘You should pay us!’ The next day, I found a fruit cake in my mailbox….”

Not all of the cover artists were professionals, though. Stephen Hensel was one of several child artists whose artwork graced the front page. He was just 9 years old and a student at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 1971 when his teacher gave the class an assignment.

“She told us something like, ‘Draw a winter scene,’ so I did,” recalled Mr Hensel, who now lives in Southbury. His drawing was a bird’s-eye view of a rotund Santa wedged into a chimney. “I wasn’t a drawing sort of kid and I was even a shy kid,” he said. When “some girls” came to the classroom and asked young Stephen if they could use the picture, he had no idea they were from The Bee, and never even thought to mention it to his mother. “Then all of a sudden,” he said, “there it was! On the front page of The Bee!” The printing plate to his one claim to artistic fame is still in his possession. “My mother had it hanging up for years, and then gave it to my wife about three years ago. She had it framed for me, and it hangs on the wall of our house now,” said Mr Hensel.

Other student artists included Maura Hurley, Sherri Cutrufello, Laura Terry, Pamela Fusco, Nancy Hughes, and May Burghoff.

Professional or amateur, young or old, the original cover art for The Newtown Bee holiday editions of last 50 years all had one thing in common: a heartfelt love for the season that could be seen in every stroke of the pen. With the talent of many, it is a tradition that will continue.