[Header image from Dick Adair’s Saigon]
According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Dick Adair, who contributed political comics to the paper’s predecessor (The Honolulu Advertiser) for over 26 years, has passed away. Adair, who was 82 years old, died on Monday at his Hawaii Kai home. He had been suffering from cancer.
Adair gained notoriety as the cartoonist for The Honolulu Advertiser, where he worked from 1981 to 2008. His cartoons were then picked up by the Advertiser‘s sister newspaper MidWeek, where his cartoons continued to run until January of this year.
Adair had a wide variety of interests and areas of expertise. He had an extensive military background, serving as a merchant seaman and a blimp pilot as well as contributing to the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes. But along with his military background he also had a deep appreciation for art and theatre, even working for a time as a ballet dancer.
As a political cartoonist, Adair frequently took aim at politicians, including many local Hawaiian officials who were sometimes angered by Adair’s portrayals. One of Adair’s favorite targets was the Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who had relocated to Hawaii after being exiled from his own country. Adair’s caricatures of Marcos were considered so offensive that Marcos’ Hawaiian supporters began to burn Adair in effigy.
Former Honolulu Advertiser editor Gerry Keir praised Adair’s political observations, “He always put a twist on news stories and topics that made you think.” His wife of 44 years, Margot Adair, also recalled his unique take on politics and on life in general. “He looked at things differently. He was always an anchor for me. I tend to get very romantic and overly optimistic. He tended to be very realistic, so he was a good balance for me.”
Margot also recalled his obsessive desire to draw, on anything and everything that happened to be within reach. According to Margot, this included the couple’s bed sheets and bedroom walls. “That’s how he was with his artwork. He would draw on anything that was in front of him.”
Adair is survived by Margot as well as by his two sons Richard Adair of Seattle and Alexander Adir. of Honolulu. Currently no memorial or funeral services have been planned, with Adair’s intention that his body be donated to medical science.
