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In 2000 Dan Dare and Eagle reached the age of 50, an occasion which was
marked in many ways: a plaque was placed on the house in which my father
was born in Audenshaw, Manchester, another on the first Dan Dare studio,
the Bakery in Churchtown, and a third on Bayford Lodge, Epsom, which had
served both as the Dan Dare Studio and our family home. The Cartoon
Museum in London organised an exhibition of artwork, as did the Atkinson
Art Gallery in Southport. But the most fulsome of all the tributes paid were
those of the Eagle fans.
Dan Dare at 50
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The Eagle Society organised a fabulous three days of events, ceremonies,
speeches and dinners in Southport, the birthplace of Eagle. Guests included
Chad Varah, Don Harley, Greta Tomlinson, Marcus Morris' three daughters
Sally, Kate and Jan, and my father's sister Margaret as well as many Eagle
fans. My wife Sue and I were pleased to be included in this whirwind of
activity, the highlight of which was the unveiling of a bronze bust of Dan -
commissioned and funded by the Eagle Society - in Southport Town
Gardens, by the Morris sisters and myself.
Such tributes would certainly have delighted both of the founders of Eagle
and I know that my father would have been particularly touched and gratified
to know that in the hearts and minds of his fans, Dan Dare remains the
indestructable hero of their boyhood.