Cícero de Medeiros

Cícero de Medeiros, an illustrious Azorean journalist, passed away on 18 July 1967 at the São José Hospital in Ponta Delgada, at the age of 61. He was born on 21 December 1905 in Fenais da Ajuda, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, and spent a large part of his youth as an emigrant in Brazil. Returning to the Azores in 1920, he enrolled at the Liceu de Ponta Delgada and, while still a student, feeling a passion for journalism, he began writing for the “Correio dos Açores”. His enthusiasm for journalism continued, leading him to serve as the director of the newspaper “Mocidade Académica” from 1926 to 1927, a contributor to the newspaper “Alma Nova” in 1928, and director of the magazine Ínsula in 1933. In 1937, he became the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Correio dos Açores”, of which he later became the owner and director following the voluntary departure of its former leader, Dr José Bruno Carreiro; at the newspaper, he dedicated himself to promoting campaigns and initiatives that marked his unusual dynamism. In 1941, he transferred the directorship of “Correio dos Açores” and, in 1944, founded the newspaper “Açores”, of which he was the director for 22 consecutive years until he was forced to relinquish his duties for health reasons. This newspaper became the property of the company Impraçor and, in December 1993, was converted into a magazine due to the company editing another daily newspaper, the “Açoriano Oriental”. He was also the founder of Gráfica Regional, Tipografia Moderna, and Insular. He was a selfless defender of regional autonomy, having published the article “Echoes of the meeting at Cine-Jade of the democrats of Ponta Delgada” on 23 October 1945, regarding the activities of the district MUD, which included a petition addressed to the Civil Governor, Dr Aniceto dos Santos. In his memory, the municipality of Ponta Delgada named a street after him in the parish of São Sebastião.

The funeral

The funeral took place at 5:30 pm on 19 July, following a Requiem Mass at the Sant’Ana Chapel, from where it proceeded to the family vault at the São Joaquim Cemetery. The mourning was led by the District Chief, Eng. Vasconcelos Raposo, with the following shifts organised for the pallbearing:

1st – Manuel Lopes de Sousa, João Estrela Tavares, Mário Machado, and Manuel Marcos, his former employees.

2nd – Manuel Ferreira, Fraga Brum, Victor Silva Pedroso, and Dr Silva Fraga.

3rd – Dr Carreiro da Costa, Dr Manuel da Silva Carreiro, Commissioner António Joaquim de Bairros, and Professor João M. Quental.

4th – Visconde do Botelho, Francisco Tavares Sousa Teves, Nuno Botelho da Câmara, and José Joaquim de Azevedo Oliveira Rodrigues.

5th – Dinis José da Silva, Manuel Inácio de Melo, João José de Medeiros, and Prof. Manuel Jacinto de Andrade, his son, his son-in-law, the director, and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Açores”, respectively.

The key to the casket was carried by Dr António Read Henriques, the director of the newspaper “Correio dos Açores”.