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W.R. (Bill) Friday Papers, 1972-2018

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Friday, W.R., 1942-
Title
W.R. (Bill) Friday Papers
Dates
1972-2018 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.5 linear ft.
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0010friday (collection)
Summary
The collection includes original and duplicate copies of cartoons, published and unpublished works, advertisements, and correspondence documenting the career of Bend, Oregon cartoonist W.R.(Bill) Friday.
Repository
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

W.R. (Bill) Friday was born in Pendleton, Oregon in 1942. He has been cartooning for almost 50 years. In 1953, he and his two older brothers along with several neighbor kids produced a neighborhood paper called the “Snooper Review.” Friday’s cartooning career began on the pages of that gossip sheet. His cartoons have since appeared in publications and exhibits worldwide, from Portland, Oregon to Saint Petersburg, Russia, winning state, regional and national awards and recognition. In 1984, Friday won a Scholastic Magazine Award for an educational computer disk entitled “A Children’s Word Game.”

Cartoons by Friday have appeared on HBO TV, in Life Magazine and on TV news programs in Eugene, Oregon. He has taught drawing, painting, cartooning, and been an Artist-in-Residence for the District 4-J schools in Eugene. He was self-syndicated for a short time in the early 1990s with gag writer Brad Cook. Together their political cartoons appeared in about twenty small western papers. Other cartoons by Bill appeared in the Bend Bulletin, the Eugene Register Guard, the Klammath Falls Herald News, the McKenzie Weekly, Old Oregon Magazine, the Sagebrush News, the cover of Earthwatch Oregon, and American Timberman and Trucker. Bill Friday lives in Bend, Oregon, spending his summers living in a forest fire lookout tower.

References: Friday, William R.The Thin Black Line: 30 Years of Cartooning.Bend, Oregon:Podunk Press,1999.

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Content Description

The W.R. (Bill) Friday Papers contain correspondence, cartoons, artwork, advertising, published and unpublished materials created by Oregon cartoonist, William R. Friday. The collection spans the years 1972-2018, documenting Friday’s career as a cartoonist. The correspondence includes letters sent to Friday’s brother, Harlow, and his nephew Chris. Letters contain examples of his artwork, including note cards sent to Chris, and drafts of cartoons sent to Harlow that were later included in advertising work done for Harlow and Anna at their State Farm Insurance Agency. Researcher should note that copies of Friday's cartoons are included among his correspondence.

Published materials include his 1999 book entitled The Thin Black Line: 30 Years of Cartooning, two calendars depicting his artwork, and a coloring book. Unpublished works include examples of artwork depicting old model cars and corresponding backgrounds, as well as two stories written by Friday that illustrate his experiences at forest fire guard stations. The bulk of the collection comprises cartoons drawn by Friday that were featured in various publications, as well as in his book. They span the years 1973-1999, and are mostly original works, with some photocopies included. The final series in the collection contains works published by people other than William R. Friday. Included are a book written by Anna Friday (sister-in-law), illustrated by William R. Friday, and a book about ranger stations and forest fire lookouts by Les Joslin. This book contains an inscription to Bill Friday, and is signed by the author.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Collection materials are restricted from commercial publication until January 1, 2025.

Preferred Citation

W.R. (Bill) Friday Papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The W.R. (Bill) Friday Papers are organized in accordance with the following series arrangement:

  • Series I: Correspondence, 1989-2009
  • Series II: Cartoons, 1973-2005; undated
  • Series III: Advertising, 1987-2002
  • Series IV: Published Works, 1984-2018
  • Series V: Unpublished Works, 1994-1999
  • Series VI: Publications by Others, 1972-2007
  • Series VII: Maps circa 1929-1991
  • Series VIII: Audio-visual materials, 2007

Custodial History

William R. Friday donated the bulk of the collection to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies on 23 June, 1999.

Processing Note

Amber Raney processed the collection and created a finding aid for the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in September, 2003.

Processing Note

About Harmful Language and Content

To learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Cartooning--Oregon--History--Sources.
  • Fire lookout stations--Northwest, Pacific--History--Sources.
  • Political cartoons--History--Sources.

Personal Names

  • Friday, William R., 1942- --Archives.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Records (Documents)

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Friday, William R., 1942- --Thin black line.

Finding aid prepared by Amber Raney.
2003.

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

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