Corky Trinidad
Encyclopedia
Francisco Flores Trinidad, Jr. (26 May 1939 – 13 February 2009), better known by his pen name "Corky", was a Philippine
American
editorial cartoonist
and comics artist
. Born in Manila
, he was known for his editorial cartoons for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin
since 1969, and especially for his Vietnam War
comic strip
Nguyen Charlie
.
.
Trinidad was the first Asian
editorial cartoonist to be syndicated
in the United States and the only Asian American
editorial cartoonist at a major U.S. metropolitan newspaper. Via syndication, Trinidad's work has appeared in non-U.S. periodicals such as the International Herald Tribune
, Denmark
's Politiken
daily, the Buenos Aires Herald
, the Manila Chronicle
, and the now-defunct British
magazine Punch
.
Trinidad's comic Nguyen Charlie
was carried by the United States Army
's Stars and Stripes
newspaper, and each day's strip was eagerly awaited by the GI's in South Vietnam. He later drew two more comic strips, Aloha Eden and Zeus. He also found time to teach cartooning at the University of Hawaii
.
Trinidad's editorial cartoons were critical of Hawaii politicians as well as the Marcos dictatorship
. A collection of his cartoons chronicling Marcos from his declaraing martial law through his exile in Hawaii was published as Marcos: The Rise and Fall of a Regime (Arthouse Books, 1986; ISBN 0-935021-08-6).
In 1982 Trinidad received the Allan Saunders Award from the American Civil Liberties Union
of Hawaii, and in 1999 was won the Fletcher Knebel
Award from the Hawaii Community Media Council. He also received several honors in the editorial cartoon category of the Hawaii Publishers Association's annual Pai Awards for excellence in journalism.
In 2005 the Society of Professional Journalists
honored Trinidad by naming him to the Hawaii
Journalism Hall of Fame."
Corky Trinidad died in Hawaii in 2009 at the age of 69 from pancreatic cancer
. He was survived by his wife, Hana, and five children. His obituary in the Honolulu Star Bulletin noted Trinidad's advice for young cartoonists: take a stand.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
editorial cartoonist
Editorial cartoonist
An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary....
and comics artist
Comics artist
A comics artist is an artist working within the comics medium on comic strips, comic books or graphic novels. The term may refer to any number of artists who contribute to produce a work in the comics form, from those who oversee all aspects of the work to those who contribute only a part.-Comic...
. Born in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, he was known for his editorial cartoons for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin was a daily newspaper based in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the second largest daily newspaper in the state of Hawaii...
since 1969, and especially for his Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Nguyen Charlie
Nguyen Charlie
Nguyen Charlie is a tongue-in-cheek comic strip that appeared during the Vietnam War in the Pacific edition of the United States Army military newspaper Stars and Stripes from 1966 to 1974...
.
Biography
Francisco Trinidad Jr. came from a family of journalists. His father, Francisco “Koko” Trinidad, was a broadcaster, and his mother, Lina Trinidad, was a columnist. Trinidad became a political cartoonist for the Philippines Herald after he graduated from university in 1961. He later became one of many journalists who fled the Philippines during the dictatorship of Ferdinand MarcosFerdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
.
Trinidad was the first Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
editorial cartoonist to be syndicated
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
in the United States and the only Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
editorial cartoonist at a major U.S. metropolitan newspaper. Via syndication, Trinidad's work has appeared in non-U.S. periodicals such as the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
's Politiken
Politiken
Politiken is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus.The newspaper comes third among Danish newspapers in terms of both number of readers and circulated copies ....
daily, the Buenos Aires Herald
Buenos Aires Herald
The Buenos Aires Herald is an English language daily newspaper from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their slogan is A World of Information in a few words.-History:...
, the Manila Chronicle
Manila Chronicle
The Manila Chronicle was a "quality newspaper" in the Philippines. It was founded in 1945 before World War II. Its founding newspapermen sold the newspaper to Eugenio Lopez. It closed when Martial Law was imposed by Ferdinand Marcos in 1972. It was published daily by the Manila Chronicle...
, and the now-defunct British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
magazine Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
.
Trinidad's comic Nguyen Charlie
Nguyen Charlie
Nguyen Charlie is a tongue-in-cheek comic strip that appeared during the Vietnam War in the Pacific edition of the United States Army military newspaper Stars and Stripes from 1966 to 1974...
was carried by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
's Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes (newspaper)
Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
newspaper, and each day's strip was eagerly awaited by the GI's in South Vietnam. He later drew two more comic strips, Aloha Eden and Zeus. He also found time to teach cartooning at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
.
Trinidad's editorial cartoons were critical of Hawaii politicians as well as the Marcos dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
. A collection of his cartoons chronicling Marcos from his declaraing martial law through his exile in Hawaii was published as Marcos: The Rise and Fall of a Regime (Arthouse Books, 1986; ISBN 0-935021-08-6).
In 1982 Trinidad received the Allan Saunders Award from the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
of Hawaii, and in 1999 was won the Fletcher Knebel
Fletcher Knebel
Fletcher Knebel was an American author of several popular works of political fiction.Knebel was born in Dayton, Ohio, but moved a number of times during his youth. He graduated from high school in Yonkers, New York, spent a year studying at the Sorbonne and graduated from Miami University in...
Award from the Hawaii Community Media Council. He also received several honors in the editorial cartoon category of the Hawaii Publishers Association's annual Pai Awards for excellence in journalism.
In 2005 the Society of Professional Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists
The Society of Professional Journalists , formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is one of the oldest organizations representing journalists in the United States. It was established in April 1909 at DePauw University, and its charter was designed by William Meharry Glenn. The ten founding members of...
honored Trinidad by naming him to the Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
Journalism Hall of Fame."
Corky Trinidad died in Hawaii in 2009 at the age of 69 from pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
. He was survived by his wife, Hana, and five children. His obituary in the Honolulu Star Bulletin noted Trinidad's advice for young cartoonists: take a stand.