Our longtime editorial cartoonist, Brad McMillan, died at his home in Jackson, Tenn., on Saturday. His daughter, Catherine McMillan, called with the news that Brad hadn’t been feeling well lately and died of unknown causes. Brad was preceded in death by his wife, Carolyn, who died several years ago after working at the downtown Dallas fund-raising party for one of her favorite neighborhood charities, DOT. Brad had a hard time dealing with Carolyn’s death, and awhile back decided to move back to his original hometown in Tennessee. If it’s possible for someone to die of a broken heart, that’s what I’d bet his autopsy will find. On the family front, Catherine said she and her brothers are doing as well as could be expected; they said if any memorial service is held, it will be in Tennessee. For an update, you can check Brad’s website here.

 

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Brad was one of the first Dallas talents to believe in what we were doing here at the Advocate back in 1991; he materialized out of thin air at my house (we had no office) one day to offer his services as our editorial cartoonist. We were a monthly tabloid newspaper back then, had only been publishing for a few months, and I was very grateful that someone with his talent was willing to devote some time to our publications; "I just like what you are doing," he said. At the time, he was working on-and-off for the Dallas Business Journal and a couple of publications in Memphis. He had a unique art style and was good at surveying a news issue and bringing an editorial idea home with his cartoons. And more than anything else, I always appreciated his willingness to turn out a quality cartoon, on time and on target, for the meager stipend we were able to pay him.

 

He was a good guy, a great talent, and he will be missed.