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tribute to a friend and colleague

A former co-worker, Dave Carrillo, died recently of a heart attack at 41. He was a great person and journalist, and Ollie Reed, a reporter for The Albuquerque Tribune, put together a wonderful tribute to Dave. He quotes a lot of people I worked with at The Trib, probably the “golden age” of my journalism […]

A former co-worker, Dave Carrillo, died recently of a heart attack at 41. He was a great person and journalist, and Ollie Reed, a reporter for The Albuquerque Tribune, put together a wonderful tribute to Dave. He quotes a lot of people I worked with at The Trib, probably the “golden age” of my journalism career. The talent in that newsroom was astounding. Ollie also included a quote from me. The one he couldn’t print, however, is actually pretty funny.

Dave and my wife, Lara, were constantly engaged in good-natured sparring. Both worked on the design desk, and I was on the copy desk. Lara came up to me, knowing I was studying Spanish, and asked for some invective in espanol. I told her to tell Carrillo, “Coma Mierda,” which means “eat shit.”

So she saunters from the copy desk to the design desk, repeating the phrase along the way so she wouldn’t forget it. But in customary Lara fashion, she managed to mangle it.

“Como mierda,” she barked at Carrillo, who at first looked bewildered, then launched into a characteristic Carrillo fit of hysterics at this designer who had just come up and announced: “I eat shit.”

2 replies on “tribute to a friend and colleague”

it sounds like he was a wonderful person and packed an awful lot of living into a short span. we should all hope to be so fondly remembered.

Dave was a great sparring partner. One time, in his usual artless attempt at humor, he asked me if I ate fried chicken all the time since I was a “Southern belle.” Bristling, I said “No, Dave, I don’t. Do you eat tortillas all the time since you’re a native New Mexican?” He laughed, got my point, and never called me a belle again. He was good-hearted bumbler and I will miss him.

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