David Stack '96, artist of this year's Winter Carnival poster and t-shirt, said he was inspired to study at the College by the words of another Dartmouth cartoonist, Theodore Geisel '25.
"I decided to apply here because of the Dr. Seuss quote. I thought that was the absolute coolest thing. I applied on a whim," said Stack, referring to a quote from Seuss' book "Oh The Places You'll Go," which appears at the beginning of the College's application brochure.
Stack, who grew up in Louisville, K.Y., has been drawing cartoons since grade school but has never taken any formal drawing classes. In high school, Stack was a cartoonist for the school newspaper.
Stack's poster design features a jester character breaking through dreary winter to reveal Baker Tower and a colorful Carnival scene.
"I wanted something sufficiently menacing, but not demonic," Stack said. "The jester character was one I came up with a long time ago, and I was going through my drawings and thought it fit. So I resurrected it for the poster."
Stack said the poster took about two hours to draw, and a cartoon strip usually takes about half an hour to draw.
Winning the carnival poster contest has produced "quite a bit of work on the outside," Stack said, as he was then asked to draw designs for the carnival t-shirt, the College's Alumni Magazine and the Winter Carnival formal, to coincide with his poster's theme.
"I actually have thought recently that I might start cartooning again on a regular basis," Stack said.
Stack hopes to obtain a grant to illustrate a children's book he has written, titled "Sleepy Sara." He has also written a book of children's poems titled "Van Winkle Dreams."
"They're side projects," he said. "If anything, they've wedded my two interests in illustration and poetry."
Stack, an English major, co-founded the literary group Wordthieves during the 1992 Fall term. The group meets regularly to discuss their own poetry, and sponsors readings around campus.
After beginning with only five members, the group now has about 100 people on their BlitzMail list, Stack said.
Wordthieves sponsors open-mike poetry readings at the Lone Pine Tavern every Wednesday evenings.
Stack also snowboards and works in technical production for the Hopkins Center theater productions.
