PUBLIC LAW 106-225—JUNE 20, 2000 114 STAT. 457 Public Law 106-225 106th Congress An Act To authorize the President to award posthumously a gold medal on behalf of the Congress to Charles M. Schulz in recognition of his lasting artistic contribu- —^^—! __ tions to the Nation and the world, and for other purposes. [H.R. 3642] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 31 USC 5111 SECTION 1. FINDESIGS. The Congress finds the following: (1) Charles M. Schulz was born on November 26, 1922, in St. Paul, Minnesota, the son of Carl and Dena Schulz. (2) Charles M. Schulz served his country in World War II, working his way up from infantryman to staff sergeant and eventually leading a machine gun squad. He kept morale high by decorating fellow soldiers' letters home with cartoons of barracks life. (3) After returning from the war, Charles M. Schulz returned to his love for illustration, and took a job with "Timeless Topix". He also took a second job as an art instructor. Eventually, his hard work paid off when the Saturday Evening Post began purchasing a number of his single comic panels. (4) It was in his first weekly comic strip, "L'il Folks", that Charlie Brown was born. That comic strip, which was eventually renamed "Peanuts", became the sole focus of Charles M. Schulz's career. (5) Charles M. Schulz drew every frame of the "Peanuts" strip, which ran 7 days a week, since it was created in October 1950. This is rare dedication in the field of comic illustration. (6) The "Peanuts" comic strip appeared in 2,600 newspapers around the world daily until January 3, 2000, and on Sundays until February 13, 2000, and reached approximately 335,000,000 readers every day in 20 different languages, making Charles M. Schulz the most successful comic illustrator in the world. (7) Charles M. Schulz's television special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas", has run for 34 consecutive years. In all, more than 60 animated specials have been created based on "Peanuts" characters. Four feature films, 1,400 books, and a hit Broadway musical about the "Peanuts" characters have also been produced. (8) Charles M. Schulz was a leader in the field of comic illustration and in his community. He paved the way for other artists in this field over the last 50 years and continues to be praised for his outstanding achievements. (9) Charles M. Schulz gave back to his community in many ways, including owning and operating Redwood Empire Ice Arena in Santa Rosa, California. The arena has become a favorite gathering spot for people of all ages. Charles M. Schulz also financed a yearly ice show that drew crowds from all over the San Francisco Bay Area. (10) Charles M. Schulz gave the Nation a unique sense of optimism, purpose, and pride. Whether through the Great n<^.
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