International Award-Winning Cartoonist of "Nancy," Guy Gilchrist Teams Up with Keep Tennessee Beautiful for Launch of "Nancy and Sluggo Love Tennessee"

Nashville, TN, September 11, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Guy Gilchrist, the international award-winning cartoonist of "Nancy," has teamed up with Keep Tennessee Beautiful and written and illustrated the children’s book, "Nancy and Sluggo Love Tennessee: A Story about Keeping Tennessee Beautiful." The book will be launched on September 15, 2015 at the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Keep Tennessee Beautiful Biennial Conference, “Live, Learn, Lead.”

Later that day, there will be a joint press conference with Gilchrist, Kevin Triplett, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and Missy Marshall, the Executive Director of Keep Tennessee Beautiful at the Tennessee State Museum in downtown Nashville at 4:00 pm.

The launch of "Nancy and Sluggo Love Tennessee" coincides with the 20th anniversary of Gilchrist drawing the iconic, "Nancy" comic strip. "Nancy and Sluggo Love Tennessee" is the result of an 11-month collaborative effort between Keep Tennessee Beautiful and Gilchrist. The book is unique as this is a rare instance when Sluggo shares equal billing with Nancy herself.

“I am proud to call Tennessee home,” said Guy Gilchrist. “This state is one of the most beautiful in the nation. The way to keep and preserve Tennessee’s natural beauty is by teaching our children the importance of both recycling and not littering. 'Nancy and Sluggo Love Tennessee' does this while also educating children about the wonderful attractions and places that make Tennessee special.

“The Tennessee-themed book highlights some of our state’s most popular tourist attractions from Mountain City to Memphis while illustrating the importance of preserving our state’s natural resources,” said Kevin Triplett, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development,” said Kevin Triplett, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

“The book is sure to inspire youth across Tennessee to do their part to keep Tennessee beautiful. It is my hope that the story will turn the name of the Keep Tennessee Beautiful organization into a way of life for all who live, work and visit in Tennessee,” said Missy Marshall, Executive Director of Keep Tennessee Beautiful.

Proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the University of Memphis/Keep Tennessee Beautiful Foundation to establish scholarships for students seeking degrees in the environmental/sustainability field and to provide community environmental education grants in the areas of litter prevention, beautification and recycling. Sponsors for "Nancy and Sluggo Love Tennessee" include the Beverage Association of Tennessee, The Malt Beverage Association, Tennessee Department of Transportation, J. Herbison Communications and the University of Memphis – University College.

Keep Tennessee Beautiful promotes:
Education to positively change behavior and attitudes creating clean, green, and safer communities
Reducing Litter
Increasing recycling
Innovative strategies for the greening of Tennessee

September 2015 is a special milestone for Gilchrist and Nancy, as he celebrates 20 years of drawing the iconic cartoon script. Tennessee and Nashville hold a special place for Nancy. In 2014, Gilchrist revealed what many Nashville residents had long suspected--Three Rocks, where the comic strip has been set since it originated in 1933, is actually a suburb of Nashville. Under Gilchrist, the "Nancy" comic strip has seen an increased audience and also been introduced to millions of readers digitally.

Nancy has also become a part of the Nashville scene with celebrities vying for original Nancy art and to be mentioned in the comic strip. Nashville highlighted the comic strip in 2013 with a one-of-a-kind exhibit, "Nancy Loves Nashville," at the Nashville International Airport.

At the age of 24, Guy Gilchrist was hand-selected to create Jim Henson’s "Muppets" comic strip that was printed worldwide in 660-plus newspapers daily from 1981 to 1986. Throughout the years, he has set his hand to such notable cartoons as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "Looney Tunes," "Tom & Jerry," "Fraggle Rock" and "The Pink Panther" and was instrumental in the creation of "The Muppet Babies." Syndicated internationally in 80 countries and some 400 newspapers, "Nancy" has a viewership of 57 million readers around the world.

Gilchrist has been recognized and honored internationally for his creativity and authorship. He was awarded the National Cartoonist Society's highly coveted Reuben Award in 1997 and again in 1998 for Best Magazine and Book Illustrator, for "Night Lights and Pillow Fights"–-Book One and Book Two. "Night Lights and Pillow Fights" was also awarded the Bank Street Award for Best Book of the Year – 1998. Gilchrist is a three-time Best Book of the Year award winner from the International Reading Council of the United Nations, for the "Tiny Dinos" book series. The "Tiny Dinos" series was among the top bestselling books at Walden Books.

A strong supporter of charities and children, Gilchrist has been honored for his contributions by Vanderbilt Hospital, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Hartford Children's Medical Center, Shriners Hospitals, and The Angelus. An active supporter and voice for the military and veterans’ causes, Gilchrist has been honored by the armed forces and veterans organizations for his support and work.