Ric Estrada was born Ricardo Leon Estrada on February 26, 1928, in Havana, Cuba, according to an obituary in the Deseret News (Utah), May 7, 2009. The Utah Cemetery Inventory, at Ancestry.com, said his parents were Jose Ignacio Florencio Estrada Y Cambon and Zilia Ascension Carbo. Profiles at Lambiek Comiclopedia, Norman Rockwell Museum, and Wikipedia said Estrada immigrated to the United States in 1947 with help from an uncle and Ernest Hemingway. A record of his arrival has not been found at Ancestry.com.
Estrada attended the University of Havana, the Art Students League of New York, New York University, and the School of Visual Arts. The Landon School of Illustrating and Cartooning (2009) said Estrada was a student.
The 1950 United States Census counted Estrada and his widow mother, Zilia, in Manhattan, New York City at the Oakdale Hotel, 36 West 35th Street. He was a commercial artist.
On March 17, 1954, Estrada and his wife, Vera, sailed on the steamship Flandre bound for Le Havre, France. They returned to New York, aboard the steamship Liberte, on May 13, 1954. Their address was 644 Riverside Drive, New York City.
During the 1950s, Estrada produced art for a number of comic book publishers. His credits are at the Grand Comics Database. The Flash Gordon comic strip was drawn by many artists. American Newspaper Comics (2012) said Alberto Becattini credited Estrada (who was ghosting for Dan Barry) for the daily pencils from November 10 to December 27, 1958 (“Derelict of the Skorpi War”); daily pencils from March 9 to 28, 1959 (“Lost Legion”); and daily inks from July 10 to 28, 1961 (“Titanic II”).
In 1958 Estrada visited Cuba. He returned on September 28 at Miami, Florida. His New York address was 11 Waverly Place.
Estrada was naturalized on July 27, 1959.
On June 17, 1960, Estrada, Vera, and their five-year-old daughter, Zilia, arrived in Southampton, England. Ger Apeldoorn said Estrada worked in Germany for three years.
The New York Amsterdam News, July 1, 1967, named Estrada as one of four judges at the Hamilton Grange Annual Outdoor Art Exhibition.
... Judges for the competition were: Miss Adele Glasgow of Market Place Gallery, Roy LaGrone Art Director of Pageant Magazine, Ric Estrada, instructor at Famous Artist[s] Schools and Mel Tapley, Amsterdam News cartoonist. ...
Estrada was an art director for the Famous Artists School.
New York, New York Marriage License Indexes, at Ancestry.com, said Estrada and Loretta Renae Badura obtained, in 1970, Manhattan marriage license number 20754. They would have eight children.
The Herald Statesman (Yonkers, New York), April 29, 1976, reported the upcoming program at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Scarsdale.
Mormons slate an open houseTwo original productions will be featured at an open house entitled “Patriots, Prophets and Punch.” Friday, April 30, at 8 p.m. at theA humorous reading on “America’s Prophetic Destiny” will feature actors in the parts of Abe Lincoln, Ben Franklin and Brigham Young. The work has been written by Ric Estrada of New Rochelle, a writer and cartoonist on the team which creates the Superman Family comic books, and Jim Larkin, an independent television producer. ...
The Tarrytown Daily News (New York), March 2, 1978, published Estrada’s illustration of his fantasy million-dollar donations. The article said in part
… To illustrate the situation, take the predicament of Ric Estrada of Tuckahoe, who in the past two weeks has been taken on a financial roller coaster ride by his local bank. Through the miracle of modern computer technology, the bank first made Estrada, a commercial artist, a pauper with a $30 million overdraft, and days later wealthy beyond his wildest dreams.… A teller at the bank examined his account and found he was $30 million overdrawn. The manager laughed and promised to rectify the error.… Several days later, his wife, Loretta, went to the bank and received a statement showing they had a $30 million balance.… But, Estrada remains unruffled by the entire affair. “It keeps changing from day to day,” he said. “But I’m sure they’ll get it worked out.”
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Estrada was an instructor at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art.
Heritage Auctions said Estrada ghosted for Fred Kida on The Amazing Spider-Man strip in 1983.
At the 2000 San Diego Comic-Con International, Estrada received an Inkpot Award for outstanding achievement in the comic arts.
Deseret News said Estrada worked
in book illustration, advertising, political cartooning, comic books, and in animation as a storyboard director. Ric’s most rewarding professional assignment was illustrating the 1980 edition of The New Testament Stories published by the LDS Church. Ric wrote articles for Dance Magazine and Famous Artist’s Schools, screenplays, several novels (unpublished) and completed his personal memoir only months before his passing.
Estrada passed away on May 1, 2009, in Provo, Utah. He was laid to rest at the Provo City Cemetery.
Further Reading and Viewing
TwoMorrows, Alter Ego interview
Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999
More Heroes of the Comics (2016)
The Mormon Pioneer Songbook (1980)
Filmfodder, Rest In Peace, Ric Estrada
Abeling St., Family Tree
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