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Peter Dunlap-Shohl - Oblivion 1964

By Peter Dunlap-Shohl

"Oblivion 1964" Peter Dunlap-Shohl from LitSite Alaska on Vimeo.

The experience of the 1964 Alaska Earthquake is one of those landmark events so large their gravity bends the light of memory and affects how one sees the world forever after. Looking back at the events of that moment I was especially struck with the way fear did or did not manifest itself in people who underwent the event, and how difficult it is to match fear appropriately to the feared.

Life's capriciousness can rearrange our fortunes at any time. An Earthquake will do this for a large cross-section of people at once. At least one of the results: excellent storytelling material, and an attentive audience who shared the moment.

About the Author: Peter Dunlap-Shohl worked as cartoonist for the Anchorage Daily News for over 25 years. He produced four editorial cartoons per week, concentrating on local topics. He also created and oversaw a local interactive political cartoon caption contest for which he drew one cartoon a week that readers completed by submitting captions. Pete also created animated cartoons for the Anchorage Daily News website.

Peter is now freelancing and working on his many cartooning and animation projects. You can catch the latest at Frozen Grin.

Pete was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2002, and maintains "Off & On, The Alaska PD Rag" a blog about living with Parkinson's that features original cartoons and illustrations.

Dunlap-Shohl has won various prizes, including the First Amendment Award from Alaska Press Club. He was also awarded first place in the 2002 Society of Professional Journalists Northwest regional editorial cartoon competition.

Dunlap-Shohl has lived most of his life in Anchorage, surviving the largest earthquake ever recorded in North America, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and sundry volcanic eruptions and moose charges. He lives in the foothills of the Chugach Mountains with his wife Pamela and son Wiley. Hobbies include biking, and playing the dobro.

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