MONROE - Since 1976, Cathy Guisewhite has entertained newspaper readers with her autobiographical wit, sketched out in a whimsical daily comic strip bearing the simple moniker: "Cathy."
Thousands of cartoons later, Guisewhite is putting away her pen and retiring Cathy for good. The strip will run in The Monroe Times through Saturday.
Cathy has been one of the most popular comic strips in newspaper history, growing her reach to 1,400 subscriber papers.
The strip has been a long-time feature in The Monroe Times and has garnered plenty of loyal fans among local readers.
"I can't remember when we haven't run 'Cathy,'" said Carl Hearing, vice president and general manager of The Monroe Times. "She has been a popular staple with readers for many years."
Guisewhite, 60, said in a letter to newspaper editors that she is quitting Cathy to spend more time with her 18-year-old son and pursue other career interests.
Meanwhile, the newspaper will replace Cathy with a new offering, chosen from one of six existing popular comic strips. The Monroe Times will run each of the six comics strips for one week, to give readers a taste of each, and gauge reader input along the way. Following the trial period, there will be an online poll to help determine the eventual permanent replacement for "Cathy."
The first trial run will begin Monday with the strip "Thatababy." Future weeks will include trials of "Shoe," "Dustin," "Mother Goose and Grim," "Pooch Cafe," and "Stone Soup."
Feedback about the comic strips can be emailed to Mary Jane Grenzow, editor, at editor@themonroetimes.com. The mailing address is 1065 4th Ave. West, Monroe, WI 53566.
Thousands of cartoons later, Guisewhite is putting away her pen and retiring Cathy for good. The strip will run in The Monroe Times through Saturday.
Cathy has been one of the most popular comic strips in newspaper history, growing her reach to 1,400 subscriber papers.
The strip has been a long-time feature in The Monroe Times and has garnered plenty of loyal fans among local readers.
"I can't remember when we haven't run 'Cathy,'" said Carl Hearing, vice president and general manager of The Monroe Times. "She has been a popular staple with readers for many years."
Guisewhite, 60, said in a letter to newspaper editors that she is quitting Cathy to spend more time with her 18-year-old son and pursue other career interests.
Meanwhile, the newspaper will replace Cathy with a new offering, chosen from one of six existing popular comic strips. The Monroe Times will run each of the six comics strips for one week, to give readers a taste of each, and gauge reader input along the way. Following the trial period, there will be an online poll to help determine the eventual permanent replacement for "Cathy."
The first trial run will begin Monday with the strip "Thatababy." Future weeks will include trials of "Shoe," "Dustin," "Mother Goose and Grim," "Pooch Cafe," and "Stone Soup."
Feedback about the comic strips can be emailed to Mary Jane Grenzow, editor, at editor@themonroetimes.com. The mailing address is 1065 4th Ave. West, Monroe, WI 53566.