We come not to bury Calvin, but to praise him.

The world must have its heroes. In every generation men and women have come forth to lead the world from tyranny and injustice to peace and freedom. Our generation was lucky enough to have such a person, and we call him Calvin.

Rendered in fire engine red and cyan yellow #12, Calvin, in his many guises as Spaceman Spiff, T-Rex and the Caped Avenger, has ushered in an age of serenity, introspection and a re-examination of gender roles.

No aspect of life, be it language or science, has avoided the influence of Calvin and Hobbes. Phrases like G.R.O.S.S. (Get Rid Of Slimy girlS) are used with astounding frequency on playgrounds around the nation. Calvin's brilliant investigations into extraterrestrial life and foliage growth on other planets has resulted in new fields of study. And none can deny the influence his research into the relationship between early bedtimes and rules against chewing tobacco and insanity has had on modern psychiatry.

Has any man ever done so much for so many with so little reward?

Mere cookies and milk are not enough for such heroism, yet Calvin asked for nothing more. (Well, except for the occasional flame-thrower.)

And so, with deep regret, we learn that Calvin will soon be no more. Bill Watterson, Calvin's muse, has announced that as of December 31 of this year Calvin will cease to grace newspaper pages around the nation. Universal Press Syndicate has announced that when Watterson retires, they will not provide the usual reruns. In other words, Calvin will disappear entirely. He will pass onto that great comic page in the sky, and the world will be worse for his passing.

But wait! Do not let Calvin go gently into that dark night! Rage, against the dying of the transmografier! To be, or not to be -- it's not a real question! The answer is obvious! Be!

Yale students must contact Bill Watterson and convince him that Calvin cannot merely end. How can we go on without his daily commentary? Where will we be without his strength? And, Hobbes! Without him, the concerns of all stuffed tigers will go unheard.

And if we prove ineffective in our quest, mere mortals in an unjust world, then we will know that we fought the good fight. We will be content in the knowledge that although life is unfair, we gave a man and his tiger their day.

Calvin represents what is best about the world and life. Calvin is about the powerful magic of innocent, uncontrolled imagination. Calvin is us, and with his passing a small part of us all leaves as well.

Let us mourn his leaving.

Letters to Bill Watterson can be sent to:

Bill Watterson
c/o Universal Press Syndicate Company
4900 Main Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64112