Goddard ("Pigpen") Thatcher [1977-2010]

I know....

Yer all most likely askin' "Goddard WHO?"

You may not have known him - or even heard of him, but you HAVE....seen his work.

Amongst various and sundry duties, he served as a designer/layout artiste/animation director for Hanna-Barbera, Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies, and even on Ren & Stimpy Adult Cartoon Party.

He was one of a team of a 4 man animation unit known in the business as Captain Billy's Whiz Gang.

And he was a VERY close friend of my family.

Born, bred & raised in Omaha, Nebraska, he got his (ironic) nickname, not from the "Peanuts" character 'Pig-Pen'...nor from the late Grateful Dead keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan...

But, ironically, unlike either persona....he was a *very* dapper figure...ALWAYS dressed to the 9's - either on duty or off duty..in suit and tie...or silk shirts and pressed pants (even the dungarees).....the total antithesis of what we teasingly called him.

His younger brother, Pratt (born 1982), is a film, stage, & telly actor.

Pigpen was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.

He underwent all the recuperative rigamarole...and *whipped* it..

On Saturday, 27 March, whilst pursuing his hobby - working on classic cars (He loved Ford Mustangs) - Pigpen was underneath an auto on jacks....

The jack slipped, the wheel of the car fell on his head and smashed his face in.....There's no delicate or genteel way to put it.

He leaves behind his wife, Veronica, 27 years old..and a son, "Pigpen, Jr", 7.

With another one on the way, due in May.


He was the last surviving member of Captain Billy's Whiz Gang. Named, by the way, for the classic magazine "Captain Billy's Whiz Bang".

Oscar "Oscy" Bain was killed in Iraq in June 2007.

Max Newton died in a boating accident in July 2008.

Churchill Davis died suddenly whilst on holidays in Oregon in August 2009.

Pigpen was one of the colleagues who flew ALL THE WAY TO ENGLAND FROM THE STATES to help Mellisa with running the studio in my absence (when I was on remand during Christmas/New Years 2008/9)

http://www.whitewomenblackmen.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12739


And he served as The Best Man at OUR wedding.


On 27 March, 2010, the last surviving member of Captain Billy's Whiz Gang died.



As I am writing this, a dispatch comes in to me from a pal in Clearwater, Florida..

Another one of our colleagues (He's been working part-time at the Publix Mart since our collective 2005 layoff from Time Warner.) was shot to death in a disgruntled employee problem just now.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/pinellas/publix-shooting-tarpon-springs-033010

You know, we filmmakers...for the most part, anyway....are all pretty much like family, no matter what colour everyone was/is. At least those of us that worked together at Time Warner from 1998-2005.





Opinions Animation Studios has sadly and heartbreakingly had to bury two brothers.

















OpinionsCartoonStudios@Yahoo.Co.UK

 

My condolences to you and your friend's family.

 

Wow. That is so sad. My prayers go out to the families, both yours and theirs.

 

as do mine mr cartoon. very sad news

 

Thanks for all the warmth and love, m8's...

One final tribute to Pigpen Thatcher:

http://www.whitewomenblackmen.com/forum/showthread.php?p=301484

I earnestly trust it's a lasting and worthy one..


















OpinionsCartoonStudios@Yahoo.Co.UK

 

Damn, man. RIP.

 

Yeah, very sad to hear. RIP....

 

It is 19:13 (7:00 P.M.) Central (Omaha) Time...and WE are Stateside with Veronica & Goddard, Jr.

There shall be OTHERS coming around this way, as time goes by, to pay their respects to Pigpen.


Mellisa & I got here first, however, and we have been keeping Mrs. Pigpen & Son company through these difficult times.

Pigpen was the Best Man at me & Mellisa's wedding..

And it was HE that devised and helped execute the "TOON-AID II" relief effort that we held for Haiti; He made the phone calls & E-Mials to studio legal departments, fellow 'toon directors & actors & such....

Moreover, it was HE and Veronica who opted to DROP EVERYTHING to fly out to Great Britain to help Mellisa to run Opinions whilst I was on remand during Christmas/New Year 2008-9.

She is trembling and sobbing violently, reminiscing about Pigpen & their love....How they met in their final year of High School; How they attended art class together (She is a sculptor [a hobby, she waitresses at a Downtown restaurant]); How, when the baby, Pigpen, Jr., came....they both exclaimed that he is gonna be a 'future artiste'....all the while gazing wistfully, grievingly, tearfully...upon the wedding ring on her finger...And with the end of every reminisicing anecdote that she recalled, she asked plaintively, "What am I going to DO??"

I don't need to bother to go into further details..

For his last contribution to the entertainment industry, Pigpen did contribute some story lines to a forthcoming episode of "Family Guy", to be seen later on in the year...





Mellisa is close to weeping herself.


Not too long ago, I made my way to a Perkins Restaurant nearby to mellow out..and that is where I am now...

Often, my prayers to God comes in 4 words:

"Cut Me Some Slack"..


And on my way to Perkins, I said to God .. in a voice that was almost like a reprimand: "Oh, God, of ALL the people that I know, Allison Veronica is the LEAST likely to make it as a widow.."













OpinionsCartoonStudios@Yahoo.Co.UK

 

Posthumous Celebration At The Awards Ceremony

On 5 May, we comic strip artistes, directors, designers, & animators all celebrated NATIONAL CARTOONISTS' DAY &The RUBEN AWARDS (Named after Genius Toonmeister RUBE GOLDBERG, an example of his classic work below)





For the explanation of the function of this fine "invention" refer to:


http://www.anl.gov/Careers/Education/rube/rubenapkin.html





Anyway, Goddard "Pigpen" Thatcher received a posthumous RUBEN for his Dependability, Creativity, and Integrity to all the things he contributed to throughout his career & life..


One of the last projects that WE contributed to at Cartoon Network was the FINAL installment to the Classic JONNY QUEST saga. Devised and begun by both William Hanna before his 2001 death and continued by Joseph Barbera, the project was completed in Early 2004...and it WAS the *FINAL*...as the sworn enemy of the Quest Family, Dr. Zin, met his death.

Yes, after more than 40 years on...They...ah, WE...*did*....finish him off.



The Warner Brothers royalty cheques are coming in from Europe, Asia & Africa now...

and ALL of us that were involved with the project, the animation units known as :

Contagious Jim (No one in the unit's named "Jim"...nor are any of them contagious)

Ahwai Five-O (Led by & named after Master Animator Robert Ahwai)

The Amazing Blondel (Led by Master Animator Enzo Blondel)

...and MY own unit..

Unit 909-1 (For Bonus Points, guess WHAT CLASSIC SONG BY WHAT ARTISTE Yours Truly derived the name from!)




..have ALL passed our FULL Warner royalty cheques on to "Mrs. Pigpen"...that's right, Veronica Thatcher and son.


Not forgetting the one on the way...Due on or about 28-31 May.





As an aside, did any of you get to see Last Sunday's "FAMILY GUY" episode ("Quagmire's Dad[?]")?

It was one of the last production projects that Pigpen contributed to as a writer/script editor for the business..

I cracked up OUT LOUD over that bit where the hapless Brian found out *the truth*....




Anyway, as far as the award ceremony & Pigpen's award...received by a tearful Veronica on his behalf...


There wasn't a dry eye in the house, m8's..


Not even *mine*....


In any case, I sure hope this helps Veronica & family....





And later on in the year, I plan to see a few projects through that'll also be of a financial help to Mrs. Pigpen & family.


I trust I can do Pigpen's memory well....































OpinionsCartoonStudios@Yahoo.Co.UK