Terry Challis, 1935-2009

According to published reports, longtime Watford Observer cartoonist Terry Challis has died at the age of 74. Challis was best known for his cartoons that were part of the paper's coverage of the Watford Football Club since 1972, and his passing was noted by fellow newsmen and fans of the FC.

In Ian Grant's lovely reminiscence, he describes Challis' run of sports cartoons as distinguished by the cartoonist's general skill and his ability to bring into immediate perspective the events of faraway games.

"You won't need to have a Terry Challis cartoon in front of you to conjure up an image of that familiar style in your mind's eye: the pithy, witty and often rather insightful commentary on the week's events, followed by the inevitable highlighting of the last game's star player, name embossed underneath. In days before blanket coverage and instant highlights, it always seemed particularly vital after a distant, unseen away game, as much a part of the reportage as Oliver Phillips' account alongside."

(The cartoon at top was one of two pages done for the charity book You Are My Watford, which Grant helped edit.)

Challis struggled with depression and suffered a severe spell for two year in the 1970s. In recent years he was diagnosed with emphysema. A friend noted that he began his last downward slide after the loss of his brother last year.

A book of Challis' Watford FC cartoons, Drawn Game, was published in 1995. He also provided illustrations to a book called The History of West Herts. Golf Club 1890-1989, which was published in 1988. A number of commenters at the Observer site noted Challis' sympathy for the fans, which was likely due in part to Challis' being a lifelong fan of sport in general and the Watford FC in particular.

Challis will be buried on October 21. The Watford Observer planned to publish a number of his cartoons in today's edition. I believe he may be survived by a longtime partner described in this column.
 
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