Mary Ramsperger Peterson came to visit the Peanuts strip she donated to the Museum last year. The strip, originally published on June 20, 1997, is currently on view in the Museum’s exhibition Peanuts Goes to Camp.

Mary’s family was an important part of Sparky’s life after he came home from the Army. They met at the Church of God youth fellowship group in Minnesota, and Mary’s brother, Harold Ramsperger, became one of Sparky’s closest friends in those years.

In his later years, Sparky remembered the Church of God camp meetings with nostalgia and dedicated this strip to Mary in recognition of the many bible verses they memorized in their Sunday school.

Mary (who celebrated her 103^rd birthday this year) and her husband moved to the Bay Area many years ago. When the Ramsperger family came from Minnesota to visit Mary and her husband, they drove together to Santa Rosa to visit Sparky.

Because of Mary’s long association with Sparky, the Museum asked her to sit for an oral history last year. They also recorded an oral history with Harold Ramsperger’s widow, Elaine.

Mary’s niece Cheeba Sobotka and her husband David, who were visiting from San Antonio, joined her at the Museum after making the two-hour drive from her home.

The dedicated strip was a very meaningful gift for Mary, so she was excited to see it on display in the exhibition 22 years later. We’re grateful for Mary’s generous donation and are pleased that we are able share Sparky’s gift with others.

—Jean Schulz