The year is 1986.

The city of Independence needs some illustrators.

Our mystery man stayed home from school for two days to make it happen.

He is still making things happen.

Who is he?

You probably know this is the young Dan Serig.

His hometown of Independence, Missouri was publishing a textbook about the city’s history for fourth graders.  Independence was the jumping off point for the westbound trails (the Santa Fe, the Oregon, and the California Trails) and the home of President Harry Truman, among other things. Dan was one of the high school students who did the illustrations for the book, and one of his was chosen for the cover.

The book is still used in Independence to teach elementary students about their local history and the significance of their city.

Amusing note:  When our department chair Dan Serig was a high school art student, Deborah was already working for the Art Education Department at MassArt!