Twenty-three years ago, Marshall Ramsey was a UT student, drawing cartoons for The Daily Beacon.
Today, he is a radio show host, author, award-winning cartoonist, and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Ramsey, who graduated from UT in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, drew an original cartoon for the College of Communication and Information and presented it to CCI’s Board of Visitors last week.
Ramsey’s cartoon depicted iconic campus scenes and featured artistic images of several College of Communication and Information deans.
“I wanted to capture the spirit and the fun that this college represents,” said Ramsey. “I really believe in what this program is doing. It’s so refreshing to come back to Knoxville and see that the College of Communication and Information is being a catalyst for changes in the media industry.”
Ramsey began drawing at an early age.
“It’s how mom kept me quiet at church,” he joked.
His cartoons are syndicated nationally and have appeared in more than 400 newspapers, including the New York Times and USA Today. Ramsey also has authored several books, ranging from short story and cartoon collections to children’s books. He hosts Now You’re Talking with Marshall Ramsey, a weekly statewide radio program in Mississippi.
Originally from Marietta, Georgia, Ramsey struggled to find a job right after graduating, so he moved back home and became a janitor at a local high school. It was there that a co-worker introduced him to the woman whom he would later marry.
“I had thought taking that first job was the worst moment in my life,” said Ramsey. “But if I didn’t have that worst moment, I wouldn’t have had my four best moments—getting to see my wife walk down the aisle and my three sons being born.”
Eventually, Ramsey started working for Copley News Service in San Diego, California, where he launched his lifelong career in the media industry.
Ramsey attributes much of his success to his time at the university.
“You can go to school. You can go to classes. But it’s the entire experience at UT that molded me into who I am today,” he said.
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C O N T A C T:
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)