Marcelino Cortes, also known by family, friends and acquaintances, of which he had many, as Don Marcelino, was a master
craftsman, sculptor, painter and artist. “Don” is a title of respect and admiration bestowed on men that others view with high
esteem in our country. No matter whom you speak with about Marcelino Cortes, whether it be family member, friend and even in
articles or information written of him, everyone refers to this “Renaissance man” as Don Marcelino. From all accounts, he was
loved, admired and most of all respected by a multitude of people and this included the
Born in
Later, he was drafted into the
Don Marcelino began working with wood and creating
In speaking to my Tia Dalila Cortes-Custodio, daughter of Marcelino who resides in Vineland, New Jersey recently, I found out that
Don Marcelino was commissioned to design and carve the twelve Stations of the Cross for a Roman Catholic Church in Catania, Puerto
Rico. She claims that this sculpted work was one of the most beautiful she had ever seen done by any artist or craftsman of
that generation or era.
His ability to sculpt wood and craft
In addition to being an artist, family members
and friends of Don Marcelino rave about the furniture that he designed and manufactured. My mother, Luz Caraballo as well as
others in the family helped him turn wood on a lathe. A lathe that he had designed and manufactured with his own hands and which I
believe is still in the possession of my cousins in
Don Marcelino was a considerate and compassionate man who liked to help his people. It has been said by many family members
and friends that he donated his time and materials to making caskets, crutches and wooden legs for people who were less fortunate
and desperately needed help. To help his fellow farmers, he designed and built one of the first coffee bean peelers in the area
as well as handles for axes, picks and shovels used to toil the fields. My Tia Dalila has also told me that he was hired by
the
Marcelino Cortes, the humble man with humble beginnings, no formal schooling or training and of little means
was a man that not only his family could be proud of, but a man that is a legend among many on the island of Puerto Rico. A
man who never gave up, who raised his family well, and yet found time to devote to his art and his passions but more importantly,
to his people, the Puerto Rican people. And if his art is not enough, we should turn to his originality and determination to
make life better not only for his family but his friends and acquaintances.
As a family, we have not been able to determine
where his artwork is and to this date, we do not own a single one of his sculptures or his creations. We do not even own one
picture of his works. This is very sad not only for me, but for the entire family. Recently our hopes were raised by a
rumor coming from family in
