As Sequential reported back in 2007 a collection of cartoons by the beloved Canadian cartoonist Ben Wicks were the subject of a legal dispute between the Wicks estate and the person who “found” the drawings in a garbage bag.
Now that the family has won the cartoons back, they have decided to donate them to York University. Almost 2,500 cartoons, including signed cartoons Wicks drew in the 60s and 70s for the Toronto Telegram, Toronto Star and Saturday Evening Post, are going to York University Libraries’ Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections.
“This gift is wonderfully generous,” says York University Chancellor Roy McMurtry. “Ben Wicks was a close friend, and both his talent and commitment to public service are legendary.”
Wicks died in 2000. He was also a tv star and worked with charities devoted to literacy, drug abuse, and human rights.
The collection of cartoons donated to York was mistakenly left behind when a Wicks family member moved homes in the 1990s. The collection became the subject of a legal battle between the family and the home’s buyers. The Wicks family was awarded ownership of the cartoons and donated them to York.
“His work is not just a treasure to his family; it is a treasure to Canada,” says daughter Susan Wicks. “It was my parents’ hope that the cartoons could be shared with as many people as possible, so we are thrilled that an institution such as York University was able to take on this collection for us. York just felt right, like the type of place where my dad would want his work preserved.”
“Ben Wicks’ cartoons provide important insights on 20th Century events and Canadian culture,” says Michael Moir, University archivist and head, Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections. “The cartoons will be particularly useful for research into Canadian studies, political science and communications.”