Bruce Degen, a 1966 graduate of the School of Art, passed away on November 7.  

A celebrated illustrator, painter, writer, and printmaker, he was responsible for numerous classic picture books including Daddy is a Doodlebug, Jamberry, and the Jesse Bear series. But he is best known for illustrating the Magic School Bus, an extraordinarily successful series written by Joanna Cole. With 90 million books in print, a television show, and attendant merchandise, the series is a mainstay of children's literature, known for its commitment to accurate scientific information presented with considerable whimsy. Much of that joy can be attributed to Degen's portrayal of Ms. Frizzle, the series’ main character, a science teacher leading students on wondrous field trips, while sporting a wavy red coif and outfits decorated with planets, shells, or animals. Degen depicted the intrepid Frizzle as ever curious and thrilled by the wonders of science as she commandeered her yellow bus through waterworks, the human body, the ocean’s floor, or inside a beehive. Thirteen books later, she'd become so beloved a character in American children’s literature that during the pandemic, a New York Times headline urged parents, “This School Year, Unleash Your Inner Ms. Frizzle.” 

Born and raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Degen struggled with traditional schooling. But a turning point came when a sixth-grade teacher, recognizing his need to make art, let him paint in a corner of the room while learning the day’s lessons. Those early feelings about communicating through visuals were captured in his 2012 book I’ve Gotta Draw.

He attended The Cooper Union where he worked in the school’s library. According to his New York Times obituary, he forgave a $23 late fee racked up by a fellow student, Chris Bostard. The two married in 1968. Degen then went on to earn a master’s degree at Pratt Institute.

Before his career as a children's book illustrator, he worked at a variety of jobs including teaching drawing, working in advertising, and managing a print studio in an artist’s village in Israel. At one point, he determined to dedicate himself to children’s books, so he compiled a portfolio and met every publisher he could find in New York City. His determination paid off when Harper and Row published his Aunt Possum and the Pumpkin Man in 1977. Since then, Degen’s work received numerous awards including the NEA Foundation Award for Outstanding Service to Public Education, the School Library Journal Best Books of the Year, the NCTE Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts, a Reading Rainbow selection, a Horn Book Fanfare list, among many others. 

Degen, a member of The Cooper Union’s Abram S. Hewitt Society and a 2017 recipient of a presidential citation, in many ways embodied the Ms. Frizzle philosophy, one she imparts to her magic school bus passengers: “Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!”

He is survived by his wife and his two sons, Benjamin, an artist, and Alex, a comic book artist.