The Man Who Drew Us In

When longtime St. Simons Island resident and artist Jack Davis passed away, the EIL staff decided that there was no way we could allow the next issue to come out without a tribute to this very special man. Instead of focusing on his career and accomplishments, we instead gathered quotes from people who knew and loved him. Having our own affinity for Jack’s alma mater, The University of Georgia, and Uga, its bulldog mascot, we started there:

I got to know Jack back when I was president of the UGA National Alumni. He supported the university in aspects but he has a real affection for the UGA mascot, which my family raises. Whatever was happening with the football team, good or bad, Jack would do a drawing to reflect that with an optimistic thought. He could make that dog look so ferocious with big teeth and blood shot eyes. The national press would always pick that up and reprint it. Every time I would write Jack a note, he would write me back with a different drawing of himself. I thought that was real special. Every year I would look forward to that year’s drawing of Uga. I don’t know how we are going to get by without him. What a great loss. ~Sonny Seiler A TRUE GENIUS, there is no question in my mind that guy was blessed with genius. Jack was so generous, loving and grateful always. I remember once while I was visiting him at his studio on St Simons Island. We were standing there looking at some gorgeous marsh. It was 11:00 a.m., we were drinking a beer and he told me in that sweet, kind, beautiful Jack Davis way that every morning he stands there and says the Lord’s Prayer. I will never forget that moment as it filled with such beauty and genuine feelings between us. Plus, I was sharing it with someone whose work had made such an incredible impression on me from a very early age. Jack took nothing for granted. All those MAD guys were quite humble about their accomplishments, but Jack really went beyond MAD and every corner of pop culture. I think there is still so much to be discovered and I hope I can complete the fieldwork I did with him. The Georgia Bulldogs won the lottery when Jack Davis started drawing for them. They got him right when they needed him. That’s all I’ve got right now, but the main thing is I loved him and will love him forever. ~Erica McCarthy

The Bulldog Nation lost one of its all time greats when legendary cartoonist Jack Davis passed away. His sweet and gentle sense of humor in his work and in person will be missed. He helped put our publication Bulldawg Illustrated on the map with his exclusive drawings. We are so thankful for that, but more than anything we adored him because he made so many people feel good. -Cheri and Vance Leavy

We turned to Fred Griffin, who wrote about Jack more than a decade ago for EIL, to share his own words in tribute:

When I interviewed him in 2005, I was totally naive about the depth of this man as an artist, gentleman, and quite possibly the number one fan of the University of Georgia. As the young son of a career artist, I was often exposed to images I could have cared less for, as well as works that might not have appealed to my mother-the-artist as much as they did to me. MAD magazine was not exactly the work my mother would have appreciated on the surface. However after I encouraged her to look at it, she decided to allow her open mind to judge in my favor.

We here on St. Simons Island are the better for having the friendship of Jack Davis so close to us. All you have to do is walk into one of the many restaurants here and see his work to be reminded of how much he loved living here. It was not common but he also used his trademark art style to caricature many of our local residents. In Bennie’s Red Barn the likes of Alvin Davis, a waiter that worked with Bennie Gentile from the inception of the restaurant, is immortalized in full color and can be found on the wall next to another waiter he drew who we lost too ear-

ly, Fred Jaudon. Former football greats Vince Dooley, Mark Richt, and Herschel Walker adorn the walls of Brogan’s North. Even when I first met him back in 2004 he very graciously offered to draw Al Wise, a local photographer and former football sideline cameraman for the University of Georgia, and myself, while we interviewed him. I still have that drawing. Mr. Davis was not only known for his unusual drawing style but also for setting small messages up in some of his drawings. On several of his “Bulldawg Football” paintings he would very cleverly include his granddaughters names, Sara and Molly, in the creases of the arms. Look for them next time you have a chance.

Every once in a while I would run into Mr. Davis somewhere on the island and he would always compliment me on that 2005 article. He probably said that to all the writers that wrote about him. That’s just the way he was.

Some of Jack’s longtime friends in the community were happy to share their sentiments about Jack with us as well:

I used to own Poor Stephen’s and Jack would come in for dinner. He liked our baby back ribs and his martinis dry on ice. We would sit and talk about everything. I never heard him say a bad word about anything or anybody. Except Georgia Tech and Auburn. And Florida, of course. We both went to UGA and when I was there (continues)

years later, I had a roommate named Allen Matthews. Allen was an artist too and he went to the same high school in Buckhead as Jack did. Allen told me a story about when he was in class one day doodling. The teacher started really yelling at him and saying he would “never amount to nothing.” Then she stopped, looked at him and said, “No, that’s not true. Years ago I had a student named Jack Davis and he is a success.” I got to introduce them later on and that was real special. I remember Jack brought in this really young guy one day to Poor Stephen’s. He was from Sotheby’s, you know that big auction house? Jack was telling me he was getting rid of his “clutter.” That young boy looked at us with big eyes and said, “He has a fortune.” I bet Jack gave anything he got from that “clutter” to charity. You don’t get too many friends like Jack in life. He was a real prince of a fella and I am going to miss him. ~Jimmy George

JACK WAS ONE OF THE MOST KINDEST, FRIENDLIEST PEOPLE

even though his stature was on the scale of Michael Jordan of basketball or Babe Ruth in baseball. We were both huge Bulldawg fans and we would go to dinner with him and his wife, and they were delightful to talk with and his stories were incredible. He was a loving family man, a Christian man, and he raised great children. Did you know he drew that mural at St. Simons Community Church? He drew Jesus just like he drew most people. Big ole potbelly and all. But there he is standing with all children of all color and the Frederica River behind him. I think that is pretty cool. He would always bring me any new UGA drawings he did, and he would also always bring one for my children too. Back in the 60s before I knew Jack, and because we had a pharmacy, we had a lot of comics that I saved. I brought them down out of the attic when my son was real young and put them in a magazine rack in his room. Well, just the other day, I pulled a MAD magazine out and opened it right up to a Jack Davis drawing. It was like an act of God. He treated me as his close friend and that was very special to me. I was fortunate to know him and I already really miss him. ~Tommy Bryan I will tell you this, I knew Jack for more than 25 years and I didn’t get to know him long enough. Jack was a really quiet, humble guy who was on top of his form right up until the end. Jack would do anything for anyone. Half the businesses on the island have Jack’s work and knowing him he didn’t charge for half of it. People know he did UGA, MAD magazine and the Times but he did album covers too. Did you know he did the Guess Who cover art? I remember Jack loved his little boat as much as he loved drawing. He and his wife Dena would come up here to the marina for lunch and it broke my heart when he couldn’t take out the little boat anymore. I used to watch Jack draw in his studio, and he would have all these little oddball props. I’d say, “Jack, what in the world are you doing with this old timey gun?” Well, I would watch him draw and it would just be lines and strokes and all of a sudden, there the image was there and it was fantastic to watch. My favorite drawing of Jack’s was when my wife and I came home from the hospital with our 3rd daughter. Waiting in our mailbox was a drawing of the stork with a congratulations on our #3 with a note “Love, Jack and Dena.” I’ll tell you this: that meant the world to me. ~Chick Candler

I knew Jack and Dena for 20 years. I always admired him, as did everyone who met him. He was a shy, gentle and talented man who claimed, “he was not an artist.” When Glynn Art paid tribute to him by displaying his work and brought some of his former colleagues in to talk about him, he kept saying he didn’t deserve all the attention and accolades. That was the happiest I ever saw him. No one who met him could ever praise him enough. ~ Nancy Muldowney I used to tend bar at The Frederica House and Jack was a regular there. We bonded over the Georgia Bulldogs of course. I knew about MAD magazine but was unaware of his album art. When I was in my Johnny Cash phase, I found this Everybody Loves a Nut album online with Jack’s cover art. Now I have his signature on the album cover and the liner sleeve. He never failed to greet me with a smile and ask me if I still had “that record.” I told him it would lay with me in my tomb. ~ Bill Cochran

Jack was a very special and dear friend

and will be greatly missed. I told Jack that I would save up my money to buy my monthly issue of MAD magazine and hide them from my parents. They felt it was not setting a good example. My very favorite cartoon was the New York sanitation worker pushing his New York Sanitation Department wheelbarrow past a dead King Kong at the foot of the Empire State building saying with a dialog balloon over his head with the symbols that denote several curse words flowing rapidly from his mouth. I also have a footlocker with a bumper sticker on it saying Alfred E. Neuman for President. ~Stephen Hart

Jack Davis was such a talented artist, I loved MAD

magazine but more than that I loved that I was able to meet him, talk with him, fix his car once in awhile, and acquire some of his original art that I have hanging in my office. He even did a caricature of my husband. St Simons was so lucky to have him, and I feel blessed to have known him. ~Rachel Kirby

“I used to watch Jack draw in his studio, and he would have all these little oddball props. I’d say, “ Jack, what in the world are you doing with this old timey gun?” Well, I would watch him draw and it would just be lines and strokes and all of a sudden, the image was there and it was fantastic to watch.”

We wish you Godspeed, Jack Davis. We are grateful that you have left so much of yourself with us to treasure and remember you by.

You will be greatly missed.

Thanks to Kreepo Comics, The Darkroom, Bess Seiler and everyone who took time to speak with us.