Gary Brookins has been the editorial cartoonist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch since 1979. His cartoons are syndicated nationwide and his work has been reprinted in newspapers and periodicals internationally. In addition to his award-winning editorial cartoons, Brookins is the cartoonist for Pluggers, the syndicated comic panel based on reader submissions.
Among his numerous awards, Brookins has been the recipient of fifteen Awards of Excellence from the Virginia Press Association. He has also been awarded a Dragonslayer Citation from the United States Business and Industrial Foundation and a George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
In 1992, he was chosen to create a cartoon commemorating the Inter-American Press Association's "Press Freedom Day." This cartoon was then published in newspapers throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Brookins' cartoons have appeared in numerous books including Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981-1987 by Bob Woodward, The Cartoon History of the Reagan Years and A Cartoon History of United States Foreign Policy. He also published a collection of editorial cartoons with Bob Gorell, Pen Pals, about the 1992 presidential election.
A native of Panama City, Florida, Brookins earned a bachelor's degree in studio art from the University of West Florida in 1972. He is also an accomplished painter, working in graphite, watercolor, and soft pastels.
Brookins and his wife, Janet, live in Virginia with their four sons.
