Fred McCarthy (cartoonist)

Frederick Francis "Fred" McCarthy, O.F.S., (5 September 1918 – 26 October 2009)[1] was an American Franciscan cartoonist, creator of the popular Brother Juniper single-panel comic strip.

For Franciscan friar, see Juniper (friar).
Fred McCarthy
BornFrederick Francis McCarthy
(1918-09-05)September 5, 1918
Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedOctober 26, 2009(2009-10-26) (aged 91)
Delray Beach, Florida, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Cartoonist, Franciscan friar
Notable works
Brother Juniper
Spouse(s)Lilly

McCarthy grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and drew cartoons from an early age, some of which he submitted (without success) to the New Yorker. He attended Boston College, but, feeling called to becoming a Franciscan friar, transferred to St. Bonaventure College in Olean, New York.[2] He entered the Order and was given the religious name of Justin.[2]

McCarthy began drawing a cartoon friar while a student there, at first for his own amusement, and then for posters and flyers.[3] He named the short, freckled, and ever-cheerful (if sometimes naive) character "Brother Juniper" in 1942,[4] after the historical Brother Juniper, a companion of St. Francis of Assisi. McCarthy later served as art director of Friar, a national Franciscan magazine, and this led to the Brother Juniper character coming to the attention of the Publishers Syndicate, a distributor of comic strips.

The Brother Juniper strip was published from 1958 until 1989.[4] Running in over 100 American newspapers as well as overseas,[4] Brother Juniper was the only religious-themed comic ever syndicated in daily newspapers internationally.[5] McCarthy also created two less-successful religious-themed strips, Sister Suzie about a teaching nun, and Brother Rufus. He published these under the pen name "Fred Francis".[6]

McCarthy, a Secular Franciscan from 1938, was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1945 but left the friars and the priesthood in the early 1960s. He remained active as a Franciscan, however, resuming his life as a Franciscan tertiary, in which he was active till the end of his life.[5] He taught at a number of colleges and universities.[2]

McCarthy died on October 26, 2009,[7] in Delray Beach, Florida,[5] survived by his wife Lilly.[8]

Publications
  • McCarthy, Fred. Brother Juniper. (1957). Garden City:Hanover House.
  • McCarthy, Fred. More Brother Juniper. (1958). Garden City:Hanover House.
  • McCarthy, Fred. Brother Juniper Strikes Again. (1959). Garden City:Hanover House.
  • McCarthy, Fred. Brother Juniper at Work and Play. (1960). Garden City:Hanover House.
  • McCarthy, Fred. Inside Brother Juniper. (1963). New York:Pocket Books.
  • McCarthy, Fred. Well Done, Brother Juniper. (1963). Garden City:Doubleday.
  • McCarthy, Fred. The Whimsical World of Brother Juniper. (1963). New York:Pocket Books.
  • McCarthy, Fred (as "Fred Francis"). Brother Rufus. (1964). Garden City:Doubleday.[9]
  • McCarthy, Fred (as "Fred Francis"). Sister Suzie. (1964). Garden City:Doubleday.[10]
  • McCarthy, Fred. The Ecumenical Brother Juniper. (1965). Garden City:Doubleday.
  • McCarthy, Fred (2012). The Definitive Brother Juniper. Empty-Grave Publishing. ISBN 978-1620890134. Includes the eight previously published Brother Juniper collections in one volume.

References
  1. "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JGGH-MJF : accessed 02 Mar 2013), Frederick Francis Mccarthy, 26 October 2009.
  2. "A little about Fred McCarthy". The Brother Juniper Collection at St. Bonaventure University. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  3. "Brother Juniper". St. Anthony of Padua Fraternity. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  4. "About the Brother Juniper Collection at St. Bonaventure University". The Brother Juniper Collection at St. Bonaventure University. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  5. Roy Gasnick (November 11, 2009). "Remembering 'Brother Juniper' Cartoonist". HNP Today. Franciscan Friars Holy Name Province. Archived from the original on December 19, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  6. Ger Apeldoorn (April 24, 2017). "Brother, Oh Brother". The Fabulous Fifties. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  7. "Obituary/Area Death & Guest Book Preview for Frederick F. McCarthy". Palm Beach Post Obituaries. October 27, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  8. Emeric Szlezak, Tom Murphy, Pamela Nagle, Roy Gasnick, St. Anthony of Padua Fraternity (Winter 2009). "Tributes to Fred McCarthy" (PDF). Secular Franciscan Order, Five Franciscan Martyrs Region, newsletter. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2011.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. "Brother Rufus (product description)". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  10. "Sister Suzie (product description)". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
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