Adios, Eduardo

by Daisy Expósito-Ulla

Mild-mannered and soft-spoken, yet dynamic and purposeful, he evoked the urbane and debonair image of another era — a cubano from days long-gone, a marriage of Savile Row and old Havana elegance.

With Eduardo Caballero gone, an era has indeed disappeared. He had been near the birth of the U. S. Hispanic Market and had helped potentiate its growth with a pioneering spirit and the keen eye of a true visionary.

Eduardo did it right. His venturing in the fields of radio and television creation and media sales brought him respectability, success and the kind of aura reserved for the legendary.

Uncannily, at different stages of his long career, Caballero had been at the center of historic industry deals or had at least played an instrumental role in connecting the key players.

Such was the trajectory of the man who became a model and a mentor to many and whose weight and presence in U. S. Hispanic media earned him the first slot occupied by one of us in the prestigious AAF Hall of Fame.

Eduardo Caballero loved to bring others together. The formation of AHAA, now known as HMC, was the result of his vision of presenting a solid front to bolster up the support of Corporate America. An attorney by training, forced to leave his law career behind after the Cuban Revolution, he knew a lot of advocacy had to come along with the impressive population growth numbers and the presumably unavoidable purchasing power statistics from the burgeoning U.S. Latino population.

Many historic firsts of which he was one important protagonist could form and illustrate a book of the struggles and achievements of our industry. A man of great humor and an engaging conversationalist of effortless grace, Eduardo takes with him a repository of stories from those early days that foretold the future— he was there.

I was privileged to have him in my life and call him a friend. My partner and husband, Jorge Ulla, kept the affective ties alive. At least once a month, Eduardo and Jorge would talk about the divine and the human. Today I remember his frail voice on the phone telling us how much he loved us.

According to his daughter, Rosa María, he left this world peacefully while listening to Gloria Estefan’s music.

Eduardo Caballero was a good man, a businessman and a gentleman. His legacy will outlive him and I know he will be remembered by those who knew him.

Daisy Expósito-Ulla is Chairman/CEO at d expósito & Partners.