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Naperville
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Grow your heart this holiday season, again!

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Dick-and-Mary-Locher

Among many serendipitous things about the small world that is Naperville can be running into folks such as Mary Locher and Dick Locher where they shop independently. The Boxes in the Cress Creek Shopping Center and Anderson’s Bookshop are two family-owned local businesses that come to mind.

During a recent close encounter, Mary Locher mentioned she picks up copies of Positively Naperville at The Boxes and she went on to express her admiration in support Anderson’s Bookshop as an independent enterprise. One thing led to another, and before we could say “Dick Tracy,” the Lochers welcomed the opportunity to have America’s most-recognized detective meet up with the grouchy Grinch over home-baked Christmas cookies. The couple consented to help illustrate the importance of shopping locally.

Dec-Cover“That sounds like fun!” said Mary Locher.

And the hometown artist known for drawing life’s absurdities through political cartooning was all game to sketch Dick Tracy using the Grinch’s words, “Grow your heart three times.”

What’s more, from now until January 2, 2015, Dick Locher, best known for his illustrations of Dick Tracy, is featured in a very special exhibit in the Pre-Emption House at Naper Settlement.

Curated by Naper Settlement, the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist shares personal stories about his life and work in the intimate setting of the Heritage and Naper Galleries.

Discover the inspiration behind this renowned artist’s work, in his own words, a stellar career that began as an editorial cartoonist at the Chicago Tribune in 1973. He drew the “Dick Tracy” comic strip from 1983 to 2011. In 1983, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his political cartoons, nationally syndicated by Tribune Media Services, appearing in many publications.

Here in Naperville, he designed the Dick Tracy sculpture in 2009, the 35th piece of artwork on the Century Walk, now standing near the Moser Bridge along the DuPage River. Locher also created an image of Naperville’s town founder, both a drawing and a maquette, that later became the Joseph Naper sculpture at the Naper Homestead in 2013, the 43rd piece on the Century Walk.

The exhibit in the Pre-Emption House at Naper Settlement will be open from 10AM to 4PM Tuesday to Friday through Jan. 2. For more info, call (630) 420-6010.

This holiday issue of PN is chock full of images created by Dick Locher. We appreciate the time, illustrations and colorful stories the Lochers shared with us. Merry Christmas!

—PN

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PN Ombudsman
PN Ombudsman
An ombudsman is Scandinavian in origin dating back to Viking times; and refers to a community representative; usually acting independently on behalf of an organization, body of elected officials, or civic group. Thanks Scandinavia for inventing ombudsman.

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