KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kathleen
Whalen Andrews, former vice chairman of Kansas City-based media company Andrews McMeel
Universal and chief executive officer of Andrews McMeel Publishing,
and founding director of The Andrews Family Foundation, passed away
April 16, 2021, announced Andrews
McMeel Universal (AMU) Chairman Emeritus John McMeel and AMU Chief Executive Officer
Andy Sareyan. She was 84 years
old.
"Kathy was just outstanding – with tremendous insight as a
shrewd and savvy chief executive, and as a compassionate,
thoughtful leader," said McMeel. "I am honored to call her my
business partner, and my dear friend, of more than 50 years. She
was a very special human being – and we will miss her wise
counsel and dry wit very much."
"Kathy is essential to the DNA of AMU," said Sareyan. "She has
been integral to many of its most successful ventures – from
Ziggy and Doonesbury to The Far Side® and
Calvin and Hobbes. We will strive to continue her mission
with John as a "creator-first" operation, and are honored to have
such a tremendous example to guide us."
"Kathy was the indispensable Mom in the Mom-and-Pop basement
operation that drew young creators to Leawood, Kansas," said Garry Trudeau, creator of Doonesbury.
"Success seemed unlikely, so it took someone with a sharp, critical
financial eye to make it probable. Kathy's mastery of spreadsheets
kept the lights on; her warmth and graciousness kept her visitors
charmed and reassured — then and for years to come. All of us will
miss her greatly."
"After joining Universal Press Syndicate and arriving in
Kansas City for a meet and greet,
I was given a tour of the building, met various people in various
departments, and was eventually introduced to the company's
owners," said Gary Larson, creator
of The Far Side®. "I remember being a little
overwhelmed with everything, not to mention all that was happening
in my life in general, but being introduced to Kathy is as
memorable as it was grounding. Immediately down-to-earth and
likable, she put me at ease with her informal manner and humor. The
two of us sat and chatted in her office for a while, and later had
lunch. I liked everyone I met that day, but I think it's when I met
Kathy that I truly felt the welcome mat come out, and knew I was in
a good place. She's part of my own story, for which I'll be forever
grateful."
"My career as a cartoonist began at Kathy Andrews' kitchen table
the night her husband, Jim, brought my submission home and asked
her if she thought it was sellable," said Cathy Guisewite, creator of the comic strip
Cathy. "The blessing she gave my work that night launched my
comic strip. Her great, generous heart helped hold me together in
the beginning years. Her devotion to her own family and to the
corporate family she helped wrap around all of us lucky enough to
be with Universal Press Syndicate (now AMU) helped sustain me for
all the years that followed. She was a rock of security, a trusted
sounding board, and a dear friend. I will be always be grateful to
Kathy for being such a great role model of strength, integrity and
humor, and for the wonderful life my family and I had because of
her belief in me."
A native of Ashtabula Ohio,
Kathleen was a graduate of Notre Dame
College in Cleveland, Ohio,
and earned a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. She met her future
husband, James (Jim) Andrews, as a
graduate student.
With Jim, Kathleen founded Universal Press Syndicate (now AMU)
in 1970 with John and Susan McMeel.
She served as chief financial officer and secretary in its early
years, and her discovery of Ziggy, by Tom Wilson, helped propel the company into
character licensing and merchandising through books, calendars, and
greeting cards. After the company's first few years, she paused her
full-time involvement to care for her two young sons, Hugh and Jim,
although she remained closely tied to its operations.
After Jim's untimely death at the age of 44 in 1980, Kathleen
returned to the company she helped create. With characteristic
strength, determination, and an enduring and droll sense of humor,
she worked diligently with McMeel to grow the company into the
largest independent newspaper syndicate in the world and a renowned
publishing powerhouse, Andrews McMeel Publishing (AMP), serving as
chief executive officer of AMP. Although she retired in 2006, her
presence remains in AMU's culture and heritage.
Along with McMeel, she established the James F. Andrews Memorial Scholarship Fund at
the University of Notre Dame, which
underwrites students in the summer service-learning program in
conjunction with the University's Alumni Clubs. Since its
inception, thousands of students have served in communities
throughout the country and the world, to benefit the lives of those
less fortunate, an enduring and exceptional legacy.
In 1993, Kathleen was named a member of the Board of Trustees at
the University of Notre Dame, and was
named a Fellow of the Board of Trustees in 1996, the first woman to
serve on the 12-member group that is the University's core
governing body. She received an honorary doctorate from the
university in 2003, and had been an Emeritus member of Board since
2007. In June 2004, she was presented with
the Edward Sorin Award by the Notre
Dame Alumni Association, and received the Father
Hesburgh Award from the Notre Dame Club of
Kansas City in 2006.
She also served on the Board of the University of Missouri in Kansas City, and the
Boards of Avila College in Kansas City, Missouri, and Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, and received honorary degrees
from both. She also received
honorary doctorates from the University of Portland
in Portland, Oregon and
Notre Dame College in Cleveland, Ohio. She was a director of the
Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges in
Washington, DC, and was a Dame of
the Federal Association of the Sovereign of Military Order of
Malta. She was involved in
numerous charitable endeavors, including Christmas in October,
fundraising for Catholic Charities, and as founder and chairman of
the Andrews Family Foundation, directed funding to a variety
charitable causes.
Kathleen savored spending time with family, friends, and
business associates. She leaves behind sons Hugh (Cynthia) and James (JoMarie), and
grandchildren Mary Katherine,
Anne Marie, James, and William Andrews; and Abigail and James Andrews; sister, Annabelle Whalen, and many nieces, nephews,
grandnieces, and grandnephews.
Contact: Kathy Hilliard, Vice
President, Marketing
khilliard@amuniversal.com, 816.581.7497
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SOURCE Andrews McMeel Universal