Oakland Tribune cartoonist defined golden age of Bay Area sports

Shed a tear, because the Li'l Acorn has ridden off into the sunset for the final time.

Beloved sports cartoonist Leland Stanford Susman, who brought the acorn to life 65 years ago and came to define the golden age of Bay Area sports to newspaper readers, died Sunday at age 94 in American Canyon.

Susman, known as Lee or "Sus" to his many friends and admirers, drew sports cartoons in his distinctive style for the Oakland Tribune for more than 35 years.

Starting with the Oakland Oaks of Casey Stengel and the Cal Bears of Pappy Waldorf and continuing through the Oakland A's of Charlie Finley and the Oakland Raiders of Al Davis, Susman lovingly depicted and skewered them all.

"He represented the epitome of what a sports cartoonist used to be," said retired Tribune columnist Dave Newhouse. "He was a genius."

The acorn, created in 1946 as the mascot of the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League, was the best-known of a menagerie of characters that came from Susman's prolific pen. He continued to pen the acorn in various forms up until his death.

Large cartoon panels titled "Sportlight" would run during the week, and a small cartoon would run by the baseball standings featuring a happy or sad acorn (or later the Oakland A's mule mascot), depending on the day's outcome.

But longtime fans recall Susman's weekly Pigskin Parade features as his masterworks.

The panels would run in two parts. A Pigskin Preview cartoon

would feature local college and pro teams in cliffhanger situations, and the Pigskin Parade follow-up would show the resolutions.

"He maintained his wonderful sense of humor despite the never-ending pressure of a deadline as he created marvelous cartoons for the sports page," said former editor and publisher Joe Knowland.

"He was the last of the golden age cartoonists," longtime friend Paul Hallaman said. "It's a lost art."

The large panels gave Susman a chance to unleash his artistic talents and create memorable characters such as the Frankenstein monster with a Trojan helmet representing USC and menacing the Cal Bear or Stanford Indian.

"Every week, Lee created drama," Newhouse said, noting that Susman's depiction of the Trojan mascot as a Frankenstein monster would invariably get outraged reactions from USC alumni.

The Oakland Tribune newsroom in the 1950s and '60s was a lively place full of memorable characters, Susman liked to recall.

Along with the general shouting and the clacking of typewriters, "someone was always putting out a fire in a trash can" as writers tossed out matches or spent cigars, Susman liked to say. "You go in a newsroom today, and it seems more like an insurance office."

Susman, a San Francisco native and Galileo High School graduate, said that when he was young his parents initially hoped he would follow his father, a successful attorney for Pacific Gas & Electric into the legal profession.

Susman, a Golden Gloves boxer as a youth and an avid golfer later in life, instead found a long career combining his two major passions, drawing and sports.

He attended the California School of Fine Arts and the College of Advertising Fine Arts and got a break in newspapers, drawing with nationally syndicated comic artist Jimmy Hatlo at the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1940.

That career path had to wait, however, as Susman joined the U.S. Navy and served through World War II.

In 1946, he joined the staff of the Oakland Tribune and quickly left a lasting mark that year with the creation of the Li'l Acorn.

Susman later created a similar mascot for the Sacramento Solons of the PCL and did localized sports cartoons for the Sacramento Bee during the 1950s while continuing his work for the Tribune.

He and his wife, Eileen, stayed in close contact with ex-players, former Tribune staffers and other prominent Oakland figures.

"A true gentleman and a gentle soul," recalled former Tribune writer Rick Malaspina. "I once asked Lee his secret to longevity and got this reply: 'Good vodka.' "

Susman's most remembered cartoon, when the PCL announced that the Oaks would move to Canada and become the Vancouver Mounties after the 1955 season, shows a crying acorn riding toward the sunset on the back of a Mountie's horse.

The acorn did not retire, however, appearing frequently in Susman's cartoons through the end of his career at the Tribune and later in original Christmas cards he created annually for his friends.

The acorn even got a second shot as a mascot when it was used as the logo of the Oakland Oaks of the American Basketball Association from 1967-69.

More recently, Susman and his work, particularly the acorn, got renewed attention as interest grew in the PCL of the 1940s and '50s. In 1994, his art was exhibited at the Oakland Museum of California and at Jack London Square.

Susman was one of the most popular guests for many years at the PCL reunions held at the Oakland Museum. At the 2008 reunion, he became the first nonplayer or executive to be inducted into the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.

The acorn, meanwhile, began to appear on retro jerseys, caps and T-shirts of the Oakland Oaks. Susman said he wasn't compensated because his rights to the character had long since expired.

But despite his humble manner and self-effacing humor, he outwardly loved the attention and recognition.

Susman remarried after the death of his first wife and lived in El Cerrito for many years with his second wife, Cathryne Violet Susman, who died in October at 92.

Though he appeared in good spirits at a December luncheon with friends, his wife's passing took a toll, friends said.

Memorial arrangements are pending.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_19667198?source=rss

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