Town to erect statue of 'Family Circus' cartoonist Bil Keane

PHOENIX (AP) - Officials in the town where the late "Family Circus" cartoonist Bil Keane lived are proposing to memorialize him with a bronze sculpture of his beloved characters.

The Arizona Republic reports that the proposal won backing on Thursday from the Paradise Valley Town Council.

The town plans to bring a 9- by 7-foot bronze statue to the Paradise Valley municipal complex.

The proposal's costs of $80,000 to $100,000 will be raised through fundraisers and grants.

Keane lived in Paradise Valley from 1959 until he died nearly a year ago at age 89 of congestive heart failure.

He wrote thousands of "Family Circus" strips in his home studio.

The strip was modeled after Keane's own family and ran in more than 1,500 newspapers.

Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com

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