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Here's to Tom Trapnell

JULY 16, 2008
Me and Tom at his office a couple of weeks ago
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Los Angeles for the first time.  There were a lot of people and places I wanted to see, but at the top of the list was an attempt to meet someone I had only known as a soothing voice on the phone for years.  That person is Tom Trapnell.
I was somewhere near the ocean in L.A., got in my car, and thought I’d drive to the L.A. Times downtown and surprise Tom.  It really takes a long time to get anywhere in L.A., but I eventually got to the Times building, found my way up to the Opinion section, and got to meet Tom.   He’s a warm and inviting guy in person, and very interested in all of us and what we do.  I could tell he is an avid reader of Drawger because he was on top of the latest discussions at the site here.
Tom is probably the calmest and most reassuring art director I’ve ever worked with.  The deadlines are usually one to two day turnarounds, but he never loses his cool.  This is the kind of person that makes you want to work harder and stay up later than usual.
Yesterday, many of us got a message from Tom that he was being let go by the L.A. Times as part of their downsizing.  It’s very unfortunate and upsetting news, but I know that an art director of such talent and grace will go on to even bigger and better things.  If you’ve worked with Tom, it would be great to hear some of your stories.  Here’s to Trapnell!
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Below are a few of my illustrations that were art directed by Tom Trapnell for the L.A. Times over the years.
© 2024 Edel Rodriguez