Fellow cartoonist will miss his namesake

I'm saddened to hear of the passing of Corky Trinidad! I conversed with him via e-mail in the mid-1990s concerning my stab at cartooning in “;Smokey's CATtoons.”; I have admired his work for many, many years. I grew up in the 1940s and '50s with the nickname “;Corky.”;

Aloha, Corky! You will be missed by all.

A life marked by courage, compassion

I am blessed to have worked and played with Corky. His quiet example, everyday courage and wide-ranging compassion had an enormous impact on me. While most of us fall way short of Corky's genius and example, we are all better persons because of him.

A great cartoonist, an even better friend

The need to see Corky was strong. We jumped with joy when Hana, Corky's better half, called to indicate that her hubby's condition at the Saint Francis Hospice allowed visitors.

The chance to talk with Corky—always laughing, joking, loquacious—was reassuring. He is a longtime friend from our old Manila days as journalists. He was strangely quiet ... so unusual. Only his eyes spoke of a deep sense and maybe need to observe, listen and communicate.

He is, to me, a Filipino super patriot and successful political cartoonist. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin played him up proudly. His perceptive judgment of colonialism in Asia and Africa might have made foreign embassies nervous. But his humility spoke of idealism, friendship, peace and the need to understand the political and economic positions of those countries in power.

There was always a strong streak of illustrating his critical position, but never with malice or anger.

Corky, to me, is one who prefers to live a quiet, serene life. He could easily have become a leader for our ethnic group. But being an artist, he preferred a peaceful life interpreting local, state and national events. If we wanted to fuss over his significant role, he smiled gently or politely.

Rain fell heavily as we ended our visit with Corky. Hawaii is losing a good man, and the sky reflected this in the dark clouds over Honolulu.