First strip, October 26, 1970

 
Garry Trudeau

Frequently political in nature, Doonesbury is a comic strip by cartoonist Garry
Trudeau (above). The main character, Michael Doonesbury life is viewed from 
his college years to a young senior citizen. The name “Doonesbury” is a merging
of the word doone (prep school slang for “someone who is out to lunch”) and the
surname of Charles Phillsbury who was Trudeau’s roommate while at Yale
University. The strip is written and penciled by Garry Trudeau, then it is 
inked and lettered by his assistant Don Carlton. Doonesbury was the
first comic to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize.