IN MEMORIAM

CHARLIE HAYWARD

A multi-talented artist and dedicated friend to greyhounds, Charlie O. Hayward died in December 2009. He was 64.

Charlie was a cartoonist, art director and sculptor. Earlier in his career he was a production designer on animated films for Sesame Street and The Electric Company, and he animated the film version of Shel Silverstein's classic children's book The Giving Tree. He had a love for classic cars and was art director for many newsstand publications, including Car Craft, Rod & Custom, and Hot Rod.

Charlie and his wife Beverly adopted a retired racing greyhound in 1999. They named her Zamba, and for many years she was a spokes-dog for greyhounds in her home town of Grass Valley. The family of three enjoyed walks around the town, and Charlie joked soon after the adoption that he had never met most of his neighbors, until they adopted Zamba.

As a cartoon artist, Charlie thought that a good way to give back to the greyhound community, in thanks for his beloved Zamba, would be to create something about greyhounds that people would see and remember. Our Greyhound PlayDay logo came from that idea -- a "Charlie" original, donated to us in 2006 in hopes that it would attract attention and inspire even more interest in greyhound adoption. Thank you, Charlie!