Society of Professional Journalists Hall of Fame
Feb. 25, 2005
By Chuck Frankel, Former Star-Bulletin News Editor
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Corky is the pen name of Philippine-born
cartoonist Francisco Flores Trinidad, Jr. the award-winning editorial cartoonist for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. |
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Corky Trinidad, Inducted into Society of Professional Journalists Hall of Fame Feb. 25, 2005 By Chuck Frankel, Former Star-Bulletin News Editor |
| Corky considered joining the Communist Huks fighting in the Philippines, but he remembered that the pen is mightier than the sword. He also realized that the arms of Hana were more inviting than the arms of the guerrillas. Such sentiments brought Corky to Hawaii. Since 1969, he has skewered and slain the mighty and the powerful and he has entertained the readers of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. |  |
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The function of the editorial cartoonists differs vastly at the Star-Bulletin and the Advertiser.
As Helen Chapin notes in her fine book “Shaping History,” the Advertiser cartoons illustrate
the editorials; the cartoons “reflect what we think,” said John Griffin, a former editor of
the Advertiser editorial page. At the Star-Bulletin, Corky’s cartoons reflect what Corky thinks on local,
national and international issues. The cartoons do not represent the stands of the Star-Bulletin -- they represent Corky. |
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Corky gets his ideas from the news “I do a cartoon because I have a theme I’d like to get off my chest,”
Helen Chapin quotes Corky as saying. Things bug him -- and then his cartoons bug the reader,
When I edited letters to the editor at the Star-Bulletin,
Corky sparked more letters, pro and con, than any other staff member.
His cartoons were in many battles: against the wars in Vietnam in the 1960s and in Iraq today;
for civil rights, for justice for all, for compassion for the poor, the homeless, Palestinians,
for the homeless, for the disenfranchsed, for blacks, for Filipinos, for Hawaiians; in defense
of the environment, for a cleaner society, physically and ethically,.
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So I am happy that the Hawaii chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is initiating
our cartoonist, Corky Trinidad, into the Hawaii Journalism Hall of Fame..
He has had a tremendous impact on this community. Frank Fasi, who called Corky anti-Filipino before
realizing that Corky was a Filipino, will not forget how Corky caricatured him. Nor will George Ariyoshi,
John Waihee, Ben Cayetano and Linda Lingle.
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He did not let death cover up wrong-doing, as exemplified by his famous cartoon of Ferdinand Marcos
buried with bags of money.
The cartoonist’s lot is not always a happy one. Critics impugn his integrity and patriotism.
One cartoonist landed a Honolulu editor in jail -- back in 1902. Helen Chapin reports how cartoonist
Ralph Yardley of the Advertiser attacked a judge’s lenient sentence of a man who had bitten a woman.
Judge George D. Gear sentenced editor Walter G. Smith to 30 days imprisonment for contempt of court
but freed the editor after two days.
Corky has heaps of contempt, but he has never gotten any of his editors jailed -- yet
He lives up to that journalism adage -- afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. I am happy that I worked for the Star-Bulletin when the editorial cartoonist had office space in the news room. I would not like to work for it today when the cartoonist draws from home. I was stimulated with the intellectual foreplay of Corky. His on-site presence also allowed Corky to do some mundane things, like being an assistant coffee maker in the years when a printer maintained a 10-cent a cup coffee enterprise in the newsroom on Kapiolani Boulevard. Corky made sure the pot didn’t run dry. Dryness doesn’t seem to be in Corky’s vocabulary. |
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For some years, Corky drew a daily comic strip, Aloha Eden, which dealt with the foible and fables of
Hawaii. My young son, I and thousands of readers enjoyed this strip. It is unusual for a daily newspaper
to have a strip devoted to its locale.
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Another project that Corky worked on for several years was a Page One cartoon for Christmas Eve or
Christmas Day. Before I became news editor, one year the Page One photo exemplifying Christmas was
a Sealife Park dolphin jumping through a wreath. This offended my religious sensibilities, me being
a non-Christian. I felt that the Nativity should be the center of the Christmas holiday. I suggested that
for Page One Corky draw a full-page Hawaiian nativity scene. They indeed were works of art in full color,
in the days when the use of such color was rare. This custom continued for several years -- even when
there was a double murder on the beach crying for Page One display.
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So Corky has done many things. Editorial page cartoonist; Page Two panel cartoon; daily comic strip,
Nativity art. Assistant coffee maker.
A nice guy. I refuse to discuss his golf |  |
