La Voz

There is a saying that you truly do not die until all the lives you have touched have died as well. If this is true, then Chadwick Okamoto 's spirit will live as long as the De Anza College Animation Department exists, through a scholarship in his name.

In 2001, Okamoto, a former De Anza student, scored a goal in a hockey game, returned to the bench and collapsed.

Okamato died at 29.

His family and friends didn't want that to be the end of his story. "He was born with a love to draw," said his mother, Nancy. His brother, Kevin, said, as a kid, "everyone wanted Chad on their team when they played Pictionary." He was that good.

Okamoto graduated in Fine Arts from UCLA in 1995 and joined Cislunar Aerospace, a company that provided engineering activities for high school students.

Okamoto had a passion for hockey, and entered a Mercury News contest to design a logo for the Sharks. His entry made it to the top five, published in the newspaper.

The Cislunar Aerospace Web site won awards for best new media project and best new education project from the Society of woman Engineers. McGraw-Hill published "The Big Book of Air and Space Flight Activities," using Okamoto's artwork.

But drawing stills wasn't where he wanted to be. He enrolled in the De Anza Animation program to develop his portfolio to become an animator. "I never saw him when he went to De Anza," said Nancy Okamoto. He was there so much, "he was like an informal lab tech."

After training at De Anza, he landed a job with Big Ape Productions. Within a month he was promoted to a head animator position.

His credit is listed on PlayStation 2's MTV Celebrity Death Match. Okamoto was where he wanted to be.

Then came the fatal hockey game.

"His moment of happiness was so short … he felt he was the luckiest person in the world to get his job," said his mother. "He achieved his greatest goal at De Anza; it's where he learned his skill."

Family and friends wanted to give back to the college that had given Okamoto the chance to live his dream. They started the Chadwick S. Okamoto Animation Media Award, a scholarship given yearly at the De Anza Film Festival. To find out more, contact the Foothill-De Anza Foundation at 650-949-6230.

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