A Little History from Pub. L. No. 106–225

Let’s agree that legislative drafting is a fine art that not many in Congress—or in Congressional offices—get exactly right. And sometimes, even reading through statutes with a lawyer’s eyes can make those eyes droop every so slightly. But who wouldn’t like a law that mentions the Great Pumpkin Patch, Snoopy, the Red Baron, and Lucy’s psychiatric help? So we have Pub. L. No. 106–225, 114 Stat. 457 (June 20, 2000) awarding a Congressional gold medal to cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang.

In addition to drafting a comic strip that ran every day of the week for 50 years, Schulz served in World War II (often writing cartoons on envelopes for his friends) and worked two jobs before achieving success with Charlie Brown, Linus, Pigpen, and the rest. Schulz’s “lifetime of work linked generations of Americans and became a part of the fabric of our national culture,” Congress found.

Schulz, who died on Feb. 12, 2000, was awarded the gold medal posthumously.  A museum celebrating his life and work is located in Santa Rosa, Calif.

—Lori Tripoli