Adelphi University alumna, cartoonist and co-creator of The Lockhorns – a single-panel cartoon created in 1968 and featured in 500 newspapers in 23 countries – Bunny Hoest, ’53, has generously donated her entire syndicated Lockhorn, Howard Huge, Agatha Crumm and Parade original comic art collection to Adelphi’s archives and special collections just in time for the holiday season.
“We were attached to Adelphi and felt strongly about keeping the cartoons on Long Island, where they were originated,” said Hoest, who explained that other collectors and curators, such as Ohio State University and Columbia University, also approached her about housing the collection. “We decided that since Bill Hoest worked exclusively on Long Island, it was more appropriate to be here.”
Now known as “The Cartoon Lady,” Hoest was born in Brooklyn in 1932 as the only child of a doctor and an opera singer.
She studied literature at Adelphi and graduated in 1953. It wasn’t until the 1970s, while working as a teacher, that she entered the world of cartoons.
She was hired by cartoonist Bill Hoest, creator of The Lockhorns, who needed help compiling his cartoons into books. The two later married and, after Bill’s passing in 1988, Bunny continued the cartoon and several others they co-created with the help of illustrator John Reiner.
The donation is an expansive collection, detailing the tremendous volume of work created by the prolific couple.
“Bill was an extremely hard worker and the paperwork that was involved in all the collections shows the amount of thought and work that goes into it,” said Hoest. “He has an enormous collection of material that he did in his life and that I continue to do in tribute to him.”
For Adelphi, the collection is an opportunity for students and the college community to study a medium enriched in multiple topics including art, history and social commentary. The most famous of the cartoons, The Lockhorns, features married couple Leroy and Loretta Lockhorn bickering and making sarcastic comments about each other’s failings as spouses.
“At a university that offers students the opportunity to study the art and history of animation and cartooning, the Bunny Hoest Collection will bring a rich and unique research resource to Adelphi,” said David Ranzan, associate professor, Archives and Special Collections. “Of course, the longevity and success of The Lockhorns also attests to the wider cultural and sociological significance of the collection which is sure to attract the interest of students, researchers and scholars from across many disciplines.”
For Hoest, she hopes that the collection will teach students a variety of skills. She described her own experience at Adelphi as “transforming, spirited, and everything a college should be.”
She said she hopes that when her collection arrives at its new home at Adelphi it will have an impact on current students.
“They’ll learn something about social commentary and social criticism, as well as a fine art form,” Hoest said. “They’ll also learn about the responsibilities of doing business, of having publishing deadlines and never missing one no matter what happens. I hope they learn all of the above and they learn it in a fun way, because the cartoons are really fun.”
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Adelphi University is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university offering exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training with particular strength in its Core Four—Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, Business and Education Professions, and Health and Wellness.
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