Melissa Conlon

This write-up was written in 2023 for Colby-Sawyer College. You can view the original post here.

The U.S. Postal Service recently announced its commemorative stamps for 2023, including a stamp honoring children’s book author and illustrator Tomie dePaola and his beloved character, Strega Nona, whom Tomie doodled on a notepad during a faculty meeting at Colby-Sawyer in the 1970s.

Tomie’s ties to Colby-Sawyer started in 1959 when he was invited to create sets and participate in the first-ever production held in the new Sawyer Fine and Performing Arts Center, Thornton Wilder’s “The Matchmaker.” He returned to the college in 1972 as a full-time faculty member through 1975, a time Tomie recalled as the college’s golden age of theater!

As his career as an author and illustrator took off, Tomie remained an integral part of the Colby-Sawyer community. He continued to teach off-and-on as an adjunct professor, held numerous art exhibitions at the college and endlessly showed his support and commitment to Colby-Sawyer’s fine and performing arts program.

Tomie’s legacy – both through those he touched at Colby-Sawyer and around the world with his beloved characters like Strega Nona and Big Anthony – continues to be felt.