91-year old journalist Francisco Alvarez Castellanos died after a long bout with Alzheimers on 7 April 2023. He is remembered for his long career in journalism. He was the creator of Cachafú, the legendary political cartoon magazine that is the predecessor of political cartooning today.
At the end of the 1960s, he was part of the management of the afternoon newspaper El Nacional de Ahora, together with Juan José Ayuso and Radhamés Gómez Pepín. He worked at the Listín Diario, as editor-in-chief of El Caribe, and at Hoy newspaper until his retirement in January 2011.
Alvarez Castellanos was strong in covering politics and government, but at the same time he is recognized for his contributions to the arts. He was founder of the Asociación de Cronistas de Arte (Acroarte), which has recognized his work on two occasions in 1991 and 2010. Years back he published the magazine Espectáculos Criollos.
He wrote poems and songs and won first place in the Primer Festival de la Música Folklórica Nacional with the “criolla” Cartas y Lágrimas, with music by maestro José Delmonte Peguero.
He has been declared a meritorious son of La Vega by the National Union of Communication Workers of La Vega in 2001. He was awarded the Golden Caonabo by the Dominican Association of Journalists and Writers, the Golden Gordo of Freddy Beras Goico in 1986 and the Golden Tamarindo in 1992.
In 2001, then President Hipolito Mejia bestowed upon him the Duarte, Sanchez and Mella merit decoration for his career in journalism.
He served as public relations director for the gold mine Rosario Dominicana and set standards for the practice of public relations in the country. He is remembered as mentor of dozens of journalists and public relations facilitators throughout his long career.
He is the father of Francisco (Pancho) Alvarez Valdez, a well known lawyer, political commentator and social activist (Participación Ciudadana), who has served as legal counsel and supporter to Clave Digital and the Acento digital platforms.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
El Nacional
Wikipedia
Acento
Acento
10 April 2023