Imua '72 Blog Site

'72 SHINES AT RELAY FOR LIFE

2011-08-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

Kamehameha's Relay for Life was raised over $120,000 for the 4th consecutive year and the Class of '72 contributed $3,500 to that cause. Twenty-one classmates braved the rain and wind to come out and walk for the cause. They are:

Peter and Terry Gonsalves

Debbie Lau Okamura

Joanne Makalena Takatsugi

Stephanie Naone Sennish

Benson Medina

Joe Doughty

Betty Yap Lau

Robyn Au

Lew Biven

Patrick Ahloy

Butchie Lee

Bruce Oliveria

Liane Sing

Duane Chun

Charles "Bo"Aki

Jonia "Queenie" Kamada

Chris Dawe Opiopio

Dan Kalili

Victor Punua

Rodney Kaulupali

Over 60 donors contributed to our final total of $3,505.00. Most were classmates, but several were family members and friends of classmate who have passed on. Donors included:

"Willie" - Lokelani Patrick
alice kawakami
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anytime Island Express
Brian and Karen Plumlee
Cherie von Seggern Navarro
Colleen Inaba
dave and sweetie osorio
Dona Hanaike
Eddy Mundo
EDWARD K. HAN
Gerard & Belinda Akaka
GO Darlene
Harry Sakaguchi
In memory of James Michael Martin
Iris Lindo Kauka
Joe Souza
John & Marian Leong
Karynne Morgan

Kathleen L Dopyera

Kathryn K Okazaki

Kuulei Bender Ho

Laura Andres

Laureen Kim & Alan Michels

LIANE KELLY

Lisa Kleissner

Lori Jansen

Lynn & Nahua Maunakea

Mike Kapuniai

Mike Sing

Monica Yim Takashima

Mr. Raymond Akiona

Mr. Rodney Kaulupali

Mrs. Darlene Jay Heu

Mrs. Diane Corcoran

Mrs. Suanne Morikuni

Ms. Christine K Opiopio

Ms. Keikilani Akana Uehara

Ms. Liane Sing

Ms. Marie N Quindica-Cuomo
Ms. Robyn Au JD
Ms. Stephanie Naone-Sennish
Ohana of Uncle Toots Renin Werner
Peter & Terry Gonsalves
R. Healani (McAnally) Waiau
randy
Randy Lake
Ron & Rina (Kalei) Mendenhall
Sheridan Kaleimamo Cockett
Sheridan Kaleimamo Cockett
Stacey Panui
Thinking of you
Tommy Thompson KS '72
Verne Santos
KS Silent Auction
Beatrice Sing
KS Luminaria Donation
Cash Donation
Albert Shimamoto Vernon Miyake

Great Job Class of '72!

Volunteers Needed for '72 Scholarship

2011-04-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

Aloha mai kakou,

It’s time to screen and select our Class of 1972 scholarship recipients!

We’re looking for 3-4 class members to participate in our scholarship selection process and an evaluation meeting to be held on Saturday, May 21, 2011.

Responsibilities will include:

Read and understand KAPF scholarship guidelines.
Independently read and rank scholarship applications the week before evaluation meeting. (Estimated 5-hour commitment)
Attend evaluation meeting Saturday, May 21 at 9 a.m. in Manoa.
Work together to identify finalists. (Estimated 3-hour commitment)
Committee members should not be related to any of the scholarship applicants.

Our Class of 1972 Scholarship is funded through an endowment held and managed by Kamehameha’s Ke Ali’i Pauahi Foundation. The scholarship serves to:

v Assist KS '72 graduates pursuing undergraduate, graduate or doctoral degrees (First priority)

v Assist children and grandchildren of KS '72 graduates with a minimum GPA of 2.8 to earn an undergraduate or graduate degree (2^nd Priority)

v Assist individuals whose lives have been impacted and maybe traumatized by challenging circumstances but who have the potential to be successfully enriched by an educational opportunity (3^rd Priority)

Previous Class of 1972 scholarship recipients include Lihau Fujimori Godden, Cean Oliveira, Courtney Valdez, Beau Pickering, Cere Olivera and Kiana Ishibashi.

If you would like to participate on this year’s scholarship selection committee, please contact Debbie Lau Okamura at bdokamura@hawaiiantel.net,808.265.5511 (c).

Mahalo,

KS '72 Class Representatives

Sue and Debbie

Class of '72 Represents

2010-08-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

This was the view of the luminaria bags set up by our classmates to honor those affected by
cancer. It was a very moving ceremony. This picture taken by Bo Aki.

It was an awesome night on Konia field for the Relay for Life cancer on Saturday, August 14th. Our classmates are shown here getting the dozens of "luminaria" bags together honor the survivors and victims of cancer. Classmates who attended: Chubby Kea Ringer, Liane Sing, Joanne Makalena Takatsugi, Sue Peterson, Pauahi Akuna, Venus Colon, Bimo Akiona, Peter and Terry Gonsalves, Pat Iona, Pat Ah Loy, Bo Aki, Dan Kalili, Duane Chun, Debbie Lau Okamura and Benny Medina.

The Kapalama Cup golf tournament was played on Friday, August 13th and ten of our classmates joined the fun. The Kapalama Cup started 10 years ago as an annual golf outing for the classes of '69, '70 and '71. Milton Burgess played one year (as a guest) and was encouraged to invite other members of '72 the following year. Ten of our classmates showed up in 2009 and 10 this year (competing in the "guest" category), so we are officially "in" the competition for the Cup in 2011. Golfers competing this year were Rolland Harvest, Joe Doughty, Milton Burgess, Bimo Akiona, Eddie Han, Ulu Kakaio, Verne Santos, Benny Medina, Rodney Bayne and Fred Miyagi. Our class will host the Cup in 2014.

More New Faces Grace IMUA Lounge

2010-05-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

One of the coolest things about our monthly gatherings at IMUA Lounge is you never know who is actually going to show up. So, it's always a surprise when people walk through the door that you haven't seen in ages. Though we gather to celebrate the birthday's of people born within the month (May this time), I'm not sure anyone pays much attention to that. The picture above are the May birthdays we celebrated, Tony Say ('73, the first one there last night), Fred Miyagi, Brian Okamura and BJ (DeMello) Tang.

Eddie Han (middle) also showed up with a big pan of tako poke (which was a huge hit). We were talking about walking around the football field last summer at the Relay for Life Cancer fundraiser and then Ed being diagnosed with thyroid cancer the next week. Cancer has been a huge problem in his family because his Mom and sister died of cancer and 5 of his 6 siblings got cancer. Eddie was lucky to beat his cancer and promptly retired from 30+ years at Pearl Harbor to enjoy "the good life."

BJ Tang also came to celebrate her May birthday. BJ doesn't drink, but she told me that once a year she "might" have a drink. So I asked her if she was going to have a drink (the ONLY one of the year), what would it be. She said, "Oh, a li hing mui Margarita," she said. Bingo! As fast as you can say "bottoms up!" there was BJ sipping her once a year alcoholic beverage!

It was really great to see Lois Wise (who was celebrating her birthday the next day). Lois has been paddling for years and brought her own crew in to help her celebrate. This was her first time at one of our class gatherings. The girls in her crew sang and laughed the whole night and added a lot to the party atmosphere.

Near midnight last night, Danny and Anna Akaka showed up after an evening function at the Halekulani. They were attending several events over the weekend and plan to head back to the Big Island on Monday morning. Richard Holloway was really glad to see Anna and Danny, two people he spent a lot of time with when he was on the Big Island.

Also coming for the first time was Ulu Kakaio Sai and Richard Holloway. Ulu came with her husband, Giggy, who is still working up at Kamehameha. The cast of "regulars" also included Debbie Lau Okamura (and husband Brian), the Lima brothers (Kevin and Keith), Joey Akeo Miyashiro, Joe Doughty, Fred Miyagi, Victor Punua (pictured above) and Dave Osorio.

Next get together is Sunday, June 20th (always the 3rd Sunday of the month). Also coming, is the Relay for Life on Konia Field, August 14th.

Another Spirited Gang Hits the IMUA

2010-03-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

Debbie Lau Okamura did some back up dancing while Victor Punua belted out some old tunes. People were coming and going from 5:30 to midnight to celebrate the March birthdays at the IMUA Lounge.

Rolland Harvest showed up late into the evening with several of his co-workers from the Honolulu Fire Department. They were out celebrating Rolland's recent promotion to Deputy Chief. Pictured with Rolland: Fred Miyagi, Benny Medina and Joe Doughty.

Chris Dawe Opiopio was all smiles joining our birthday celebration for the first time. She paused for a picture with Joey Akeo Miyashiro and BJ DeMello Tang.

Peter Gonsalves and Leonard Batungbacal also made their first appearances at the IMUA and spent some time visiting with classmates. Left to right: Peter, Noelle Kanoho, Leonard, Keith Lima, Venus Colon and Fred Miyagi.

Front Row: Fred, Victor, Joanne, BJ, Chris, (Tony Say '73), Debbie, Venus, Noelle, Brian. Back Row: Keith Lima, Benny, Joey, Peter, Kevin Lima, Joe, Leonard. Not pictured: Thomas Paakaula, Richard Holloway, Rolland Harvest, Betty Yap Lau.

Who knew Leonard could sing? Debbie, Joanne and Betty swoon over the man with golden voice.
Joanne graced us with her beautiful voice and Debbie made her karaoke debut.

Also wanted to mention that we (me, Fred and Bimo) saw Darwin Keolanui in Kona over the weekend. The "Prince of Punalu'u" looked great and caught us up on the last 35 years of his life. He was in Kona visiting his father and sister. Darwin lives and works in Reno, Nevada. You can email him at: punaluuprince@yahoo.com

Next IMUA Lounge get together: Always the 3rd Sunday of the Month. That would be April 18th.

Classmates Celebrate February Birthdays

2010-02-22T09:41:00.000-08:00

Betty Yap Lau and Ginger Tavares Jaictin were part of the "new faces" that showed up at the IMUA Lounge for our monthly get together. Some other new faces showing up at our February 21 get together included Dave Osorio, Albert Kaai (and wife Mahina), Raynell Miranda Abut, Donalei Ho, Thomas Paakaula, Keith Lima, Noelle Wedemeyer Kanoho and Butchie Lee (and husband, Glenn).

Benny Medina, Noelle Wedemeyer and Venus Colon enjoying the company and good music. Pauahi Colburn Akuna (behind Venus) visits with some o'hana.

Ginger and Raynell carpooled from Wahiawa and Salt Lake. It was their first visit to the IMUA Lounge.

Dave Osorio, Tom Paakaula, Fred Miyagi and Vic Punua (Butchie in the background) catch up over a few beers.

Albert and Mahina had to leave early, but managed to pose for a picture with Pauahi, Venus, Joe Doughty, Keith Lima and Butchie Lee.

Keith Lima was recently promoted to Captain at HPD and assigned to the Traffic Division, talks about the recent rash of pedestrian accidents with Fred Miyagi and Dave Osorio.

Next get together at the IMUA: Sunday, March 21 to celebrate March birthdays.

At Night at the IMUA Lounge

2010-01-12T23:25:00.000-08:00

A night full of fun was shared by '72 classmates at newly opened IMUA Lounge on Keeaumoku St. (L to R) Rolland Harvest, BJ Tang, Kevin Lima, Diane Corcoran, Joey Miyashiro, Venus Colon, Pauahi Akuna, Joe Doughty, Debbie Lau Okamura, Benny Medina, Fred Miyagi and Vic Punua.

Debbie and Venus jump up for an impromptu hula to show the crowd that '72 wahines "still got it going!"

Fred Miyagi, Benny Medina and step-daughter Emily (Holly Nishimura's daughter) take a pause between shots of Wild Turkey to smile for the camera!

Venus Colon and Diane Corcoran finally got to be backup singers when Joe "Elvis" Doughty brought the house down with rousing karaoke.

Joey Miyashiro, BJ Tang, Pauahi Akuna and Kevin Lima enjoy our first get together at the IMUA Lounge.

Newly appointed deputy chief Rolland Harvest, birthday girl Debbie Lau Okamura and Joe Doughty get ready to chow down on a special birthday dessert.

So the group that came decided that we should get together every month and celebrate the birthdays for the month. To make it easy to remember, we're going to get together at the IMUA Lounge every 3rd Sunday of the month to celebrate birthdays. Next birthday party: Sunday, February 21. See you all there!!!! Aloha!

Honoring Pauahi

2010-01-05T21:39:00.001-08:00

These photos were taken at Mauna Ala on Dec. 13 while celebrating Alii Sunday for Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Various classes offered ho’okupu at the burial site. Our class honored Pauahi with lei and an oli composed by George Kanalu Young (chanted by Joanne Takatsugi) in honor of Ke Alii Pauahi. It was a beautiful and heartwarming ceremony. Mahalo to Kainoa Daines and Debbie Lau Okamura for organizing.

Oregon in September

2009-09-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post this picture of Terry & Chubby Ringer at a place called Tu Tu Tun Lodge which was acquired last year by Chubby & her husband Reed along with their son Kyle. Quite a remarkable place situated on the Rogue River just a few miles from the Oregon Coast at Gold Beach. Great vacation, got to spend some time with Sheri & Lee Garboden as well as Mason & Janine Honda. >Peter & Terry

There's a NEW Hawaiian on the East Coast...

2009-09-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

Aloha everyone, it's Milton Olmos from Virginia...

Just wanted to introduce to you all my first grand daughter, a precious gift from God...Alana Kaiulani.

Born yesterday, August 31st at 12:50pm.

Here is a picture of mom and dad to the right...
Ericka Ebersole (19) and James Keawe Olmos (20).

Da new Tutu Kane!

In Benny's blog today

http://docs.google.com/Doc?
docid=0AUkb80NXXEgXZGN2cGt4OXFfMzBnZ2dydmJjbg&hl=en he talks about becoming a part of community;

"Now is the time to get in a regular golf group, join a hiking club or a halau, volunteer for something that makes you feel good, join a book group or have a family reunion. Invest in yourself by investing in others.....................Well, it looks like I'm going to be investing in helping changing some diapers ALL OVER AGAIN....ahhggg!

A Gathering to Remember

2009-08-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

A small and spirited group of classmates gathered on Saturday, August 29th at the home of Margaret and Doug Peeples. Margaret is the sister of Lisa Porter Kleissner, who was visiting from her home in California. We were treated to a beautiful view of Kaneohe Bay, a clear night and the wonderful company of friends and classmates. Classmates who attended: Peter & Terry Gonsalves, Rodney Bayne, Dan Kalili, Debbie Lau Okamura, Duane Chun, Richard Holloway, Victor Punua, Roland Chang, Lew Biven, Lisa Porter Kleissner, Joey Akeo Miyashiro, BJ Tang, Milton Burgess, Joe Doughty, Sue Peterson, John Leong, Alika Atay, Leonard Batungbacal and Benny Medina.

Joe Doughty was one of the first to arrive and one of the last to leave. He's at the tail end of his career as a policeman and is looking forward to his retirement.

The "Three Amigos" (Richard Holloway, Vic Punua and Duane Chun) pose for a picture at the end of the evening. Victor led the group in several choral tunes including "Imua Kamehameha" and a weak attempt by the guys at "Pehea Hoi Au"

Milton Burgess, Duane & Bette Chun, Roland Chang and Richard Holloway belt out the school song at the end of the evening. You can see Alika Atay and John Leong in the darkened background on the left.

Lisa does an impromptu hula with a little coaching from Debbie Lau Okamura. We had some great Hawaiian music by Harry Koizumi, a renown music teacher from Kailua.

Leonard Batungbacal and Bernard Peterson (Sue's husband) chat about the ono kaukau at the party. Leonard brought a full tray of hot kalua pig that was an instant hit.

Victor took the mic for a song with great back up guitar by Roland Chang. The "hana hou!" shouts were so loud that Vic had no choice but return to the stage.

During the "disco set", Sue Peterson, BJ Tang and Joey Miyashiro proved that they still got the "groove on" when they simultaneously decided to "bust a move."

Someone we haven't seen for a while, Richard Holloway made the party with the help of Victor. Rich has had some health challenges for some time, but feels fortunate to "still be here."

Though Duane has never been in a kayak before, he had such a blast that he dragged his wife Bette, out into the bay on the two-man kayak. Pumped up by the experience, people were talking "Duane Would Go" t-shirts by the next reunion.

Give a knife to Lisa and watch out! We had a few laughs before the cake-cutting while Alika's son Matai, is totally hypnotized by the butter frosting!

John Leong, Sue Peterson and Bette Chun get ready for a piece of the custom cakes Lisa ordered for the birthday party. John also made a tray of his famous lemon squares.

John and Marian Leong took a nice cruise on Kaneohe Bay on one of several kayaks, one man outrigger canoes and standup paddleboards that Margaret and Doug Peeples assembled for our group.

Dan and Rose Kalili joined the festivities last night. Dan is retired from the Navy but serves as the office manager for our classmate, State Representative Hermina Morita of Kauai.

Alika Atay and family were in town over the weekend to attend the class party and a special memorial service for George Young on Sunday, the 30th. Alika is pictured here with son, Matai.

The highlight of the evening was a sunset cruise on Margaret and Doug's boat. Captain Doug circled Coconut Island and Kaneohe Bay sandbar with a group of classmates and their families. While boarding the boat, those who opted to stay on shore and party, broke out with a spontaneous chorus of "Gilligan's Island."

The party was such a hit for those who attended, we're talking about making it an annual event at the end of every summer.

Class Birthday Party Moved to Kaneohe

2009-08-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Class of '72,

We have changed the venue for the class birthday party scheduled for Saturday, August 29th. We were planning to have it at Albert and Mahina Kaai's place in Waimanalo, but they will be off island at a funeral on that weekend.

Lisa Porter Kleissner's sister, Margaret offered her place for our party so we are moving it there. Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, August 29th

Address: 44-527A Kaneohe Bay Drive. (Look for the blue/white balloons. Plenty of parking on the Bay Drive)

Time: 2 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Directions: Hit link below to Google Maps

Food and Drink: Potluck and BYOB (we will have coolers with ice and paper goods available)

Questions: Call Benny (286-6559) or Debbie (265-5511)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=44-527A+Kaneohe+Bay+Drive,+Kaneohe,+HI+96744&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.642161,79.013672&ie=UTF8&ll=21.42223,-157.766247&spn=0.084216,0.154324&z=13&iwloc=A

Relay for Life Brings '72 Together

2009-08-17T17:15:00.000-07:00

The 2nd Annual Relay for Life took place on Saturday, August 15th at the Kapalama Campus. Our class had two teams and raised over $5,000 at the charity event that benefits the American Cancer Society. Standing with our gold team award is Diane Corcoran, Lew Biven, Karynne Chong Morgan, Leonard Batungbacal, Mona Hall Neill, Benson Medina, Sue Peterson, Debbie Lau Okamura and Duane Chun.
Stacey Atchinson Panui and Lew Biven take a few minutes to catch up at the Relay for Life. Our class was well represented and raised over $5,000 in donations.

Aunty Gussie Bento and son, Keolu Bento '76, hold the luminaria bag that honors Padeken Bento, our classmate, who passed away from cancer back in 2001.

Pete Gonsalves and Kevin Lima prepare the luminaria bags. Dozens of bags were prepared for the many classmates, family members and friends that have been touched by cancer.

Edwina Kalahiki, Liane Sing, Mona Hall Neill, Jonia Leong Kamada and Debbie Lau Okamura take a break from walking to get the luminaria ceremony ready. Liane recently survived cancer surgery.

Our classmates lead the way at the Relay for life. From the left, Duane and Bette Chun, Bo Aki and his wife and Robyn Au and her daughter. Nearly 80 classmates and family members attended the relay at Kunuiakea Field.

Kelsey "Kahi" Sindiong 1954-2009

2009-08-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

Our classmate, Kelsey Sindiong died on July 19th at St. Francis-West hospice after a year long battle with colon cancer. He was employed by Napili Kai resort and had worked at other resorts on the island of Maui. He was active in many youth and community leagues and events as a coach and organizer. He is survived by is parents, Crispolo and Jane, brothers Lance and Kyle and sister Mary-Ann Sindiong Weeks.

Private services were held on Oahu. Kelsey is the 29th member of the class of 1972 to pass away. He will be honored along with other members of our class that have passed away from cancer at the Relay for Life at Kamehameha's Kapalama Campus on Saturday, August 15th.

More Class News

2009-06-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Pictured above, left to right, Rodney Bayne, Milton Burgess, Benny Medina, Ed Han and Bimo Akiona at the Kapalama Cup golf tournament on June 19th. We won the "Guest Flight" competition (we were the only ones in that category!). Other team members not pictured, Fred Miyagi, Joe Doughty and Mike Apo. The golfers of '72 are hosting a weekend of golf on the Big Island, July 31-Aug 2. Email me or Bimo (bimoakiona@yahoo.com) if you're interested in attending.

Marie Quindica Cuomo's son Greg, graduated from Maui High on June 6th. Marie is standing to the right of Greg.

Class News for July 2009

2009-06-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

Pictured above is Lois Wise's granddaughter, Callie Kalahikiolaokalehua Thompson. Callie's father is Lois' son, Isaiah.........Got an email from Carol Moad who is in Luanda, Angola at the moment but is getting ready for a permanent change of station to Skopje, Maced. She works for the State Department and moves every 2-3 years....Bimo Akiona retired from the Big Island Fire Department today after 30+ years of public service for Hawaii County........Riley Smith was appointed Vice President of Properties for Lanihau LLC.......Robyn Au and daughter Jenna are relocating back to Hawaii after a stint in Okinawa.....Clayton Chong is recovering after having both knees replaced several weeks ago......Betty Yap Lau was on Oahu this weekend for the baby luau of her grandaughter, Iliahi Wong.......Nahua Maunakea and wife Lynn recently visited Hawaii. traveling from their home in Colorado.....Kevin Lima was on the short list for interim Chief after the police commission chose not to renew Chief Boisse Correa's contract......Don't forget to sign up for the Relay for Life Cancer Walk on August 15th at Kapalama......http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09PL/1255694881?pg=team&fr_id=16901&team_id=411120

More on Class Members

2009-04-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Terry, Peter, myself and Debbie got together at Lisa Porter Kleissner's parents home in Kailua recently. Lisa is getting ready for major brain surgery on May 27th. She hopes to back visiting in Hawaii in July..........George Costa is now Director of Economic Development for Kauai County..........Liane Okamitsu will be selling and displaying her jewelry at the Spring Arts and Crafts Fair in Nassau County, NY this weekend. You can check out Liane's website at www.lianebydesign.com

Class of '72 golfers will make an assault on the Kapalama Cup Tournament that is annually hosted by the classes of "69, '70 and '71 at Hawaii Kai Golf course on June 19th. On the '72 team will be Milton Burgess, Ed Han, Joe Doughty, Fred Miyagi, Bimo Akiona, Mike Apo, Dennis Kaaihue, Benny Medina, Wesley Luke, Verne Santos, Joe Souza and Rodney Bayne.

Hermina (Mina) Morita has been a state representative since 1997 for District 14, East and North Kaua'i. She is the chairman of the State Energy and Environmental Protection Committee. Check out Mina's website and find out more about her and her campaign: www.minamorita.com

Charles "Bo" Aki just got back from the Hawaii Republican Convention and is thinking about running for public office.......Butchie Lee is off to Nu'alolo Kai for the rest of the week.

Some Class Happenings

2009-03-23T23:38:00.000-07:00

Heard from Ginny Kauka Wright that Mona Soberano Morris lost her husband on March 13th. Funeral services were today, they had five children.......saw Chris Dawe Opiopio at the airport on Friday, now working for Mokulele Airlines, she looked great as always.....Meri-Bea Lake McGarry is now living in the Bay area and loving it....Gary Okada has been in Kona for the last two months working.....Joe Ahuna has been selected as the scoutmaster for the Hawaii contingent to the 100 year anniversary National Jamboree in July 2010......Michael "John" Barretto is fixing up his daughters place and playing music with the Michael Barretto Band........include Liane Sing and Lisa Porter Kleissner in your prayers, both battling some serious health issues......Laureen Kim made her television debut at Song Contest last Friday night, giving major award of the evening.....Harry Anderson is getting ready to leave the hospital after having a second surgery to amputate more of his leg....Barbara Lau Orrell needs someone to take over the culinary arts program at Nanakuli High School, email her at orrellhe@yahoo.com....Ernie Akana's daughter Haunani, will be representing Hawaii at the Olympic Air Rifle and Small Bore Rifle competition in Colorado Springs this summer.

Don't forget our class birthday party on May 1st and the tribute film to George Kanalu Young on April 2nd at the UH Art School.

Song Contest 2009

2009-03-20T01:12:00.001-07:00

Aloha mai kakou,
Hi, it's Laureen Kim. I'm on O'ahu for the 89th annual Song Contest on March 20, 2009. The Helen Desha Beamer award for Best Musical Performance is presented by the Kamehameha Schools Alumni Association, which has regional branches throughout the state of Hawai'i and throughout the mainland. This award rotates among the 13 or so regions, and this year the presentation is being made by the Northern California Region. As President of the KSAA Northern California Region, that means me. A few of you have been asking if I'm nervous about making the award. I guess I get nervous whenever someone asks me because otherwise I try not to psyche myself out. When I thought I'd have to make the whole presentation in the Hawaiian language I did get freaked out. But the people at KS said to use as much or as little in English as I needed. Whew! Beforehand, I would like to thank my fashion consultants, Debbie Lau Okamura and Sue Peterson; and my Hawaiian language consultant Anna Akaka. If you watch Song Contest you may recognize a phrase: Pili kau, pili ho'oilo e ka hele la o Kaiona. Yes, it is our class motto, and my way of honoring all my dear classmates and in particular, George Young. I hope to represent KS alumni and particularly our Class of '72 well. Mahalo for your support.

Visiting with Tim Bachran...

2009-03-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

Tim when he first met Charlotte back in the 70's. Eh, the bugga looking good.

Tim and Charlotte years later...

Check out Tim's beautiful locks. He is now known as "Kimo PonyTail".

Having a great time celebrating Tim's 55th birthday at Joe's Crab Shack in Chesapeake, Virginia!

Visiting with Mary Elizabeth...

2009-03-03T05:29:00.000-08:00

Stopped by today in Fredericksburg, Virginia, to see our classmate, Mary Elizabeth (ME)Bacon and her husband Kimo Bacon, '71. We got there after an all overnight snow blizzard of 7", as you can see the results in ME's backyard.

Posted by Debbie

More Travels with Debbie

2009-03-02T06:07:00.000-08:00

Milton takes us to visit the National Rifle Association (NRA) and NRA Shooting Range. I was fasinated by watching both men and women practing their shooting of both small arms and heavy automatic rifles.
The National Firearms Museum contains 15 galleries with over 2,000 firearms. You can see historical gun treasures from the Mayflower, Wild West, Napoleon Bonaparte, Annie Oakley, Gen. Douglas MacArther, and many U.S. Presidents.

Posted by Debbie & Milton

Debbie & Brian Travels...National Museum of the American Indian

2009-02-27T12:51:00.000-08:00

Today we visited the National Museum of the American Indian. Of the four tribal regions, North, South, East, and West, the Hawaiian canoe represents the West.

The bronze sculpture to the right is called "Allies in War, Partners in Peace". George Washington and the American Indians.

The American Indians produced extraordinary wealth such as corn and gold.

Brian, Debbie, Ann Kawasaki (Smithsonian Museum Librarian - originally from Hilo) and Milton.

Indian saying..."they may have cut our sacred trees but they did not destroy are roots".
Posted by Debbie & Milton 02/27/09

Yearly Travels with Debbie & Brian...Wash. DC

2009-02-21T17:12:00.000-08:00

We decided to go and visit the newly renovated National Museum of American History today. We figured that we'd just hang out with George Washington for a while.

THESE ARE THINGS WE DIDN'T KNOW...How many times was Senator Inouye shot in the war?

Back in Italy, the 442nd was assaulting a heavily defended hill in the closing months of the war when Lieutenant Inouye was hit in his abdomen (#1) by a bullet which came out his back, barely missing his spine. Not feeling much pain, he continued to lead the platoon and advanced alone against a machine gun nest which had his men pinned down.

He then distincly remembers seeing a German soldier stand up and face him, at the tip of the riffle was a grenade launcher. Thankfully, the soldier was a bad aim and it hit his right elbow (#2). Inouye being concerned about his fellow troops started looking for the grenade because he didn't want his guys to blow up. He then looked at his dangling arm and in it was stuck the grenade. He grabbed the grenade and through it back (it was a good throw).

He then was hit in his foot by a bullet (#3), which toppled him over and he fell back and rolled down the hill. He was evacuated one hour later.

Dan Inouye spent 20 months in Army hospitals after losing his right arm. On May 27, 1947, he was honorably discharged and returned home as a Captain with a Distinguished Service Cross (the second highest award for military valor), Bronze Star, Purple Heart with cluster and 12 other medals and citations.

His Distinguished Service Cross was recently upgraded to a Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for military valor. He received that medal from the President of the United States on June 21, 2000.

We left the museum today and saw this awesome view of the Washington Monument at sunset. What a day...(more to come)

Posted by Debbie and Milton 02/21/09

East Coast KS '72 Celebrates 55th Bdays

2009-02-20T18:27:00.000-08:00

Celebrating their 55th birthdays in Virgina: Kaua (12/28), Milton (8/22) and Debbie (1/10) and Brian (who wishes he was still 55!). Will also be celebrating 55th birthdays with Mary Elizabeth and Tim Bachran in early March. More photos to come!

Moana Albrechtson Sonoda, 1954-2009

2009-02-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

Top: Harry and Moana Sonoda. Above: Moana Albrechtson, senior yearbook photo, 1972

Our classmate, Moana Albrechtson Sonoda passed away on February 10th after a long battle with cancer. She was 54 years old and is survived by her husband Harry, daughters Brandy, Sherry and Gemmi; mother Doris Voss; brothers, Spark and Kip Albrechtson; sister, Luana Argel; eight step-grandchildren and two step-great grandchildren.

Moana worked with her husband Harry at Sonoda Masonry in Kaneohe. They were very active members of their church, The Ark Christian Center. Funeral services will be held at the Ark Christian Center, 45-1141 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, HI 96744 on Friday, February 20th at 7 p.m. The church is located on Kamehameha Highway near Kahuhipa Street. Free parking is available across the street at American Savings Bank.

Cards and remembrances can be sent to the Sonoda Family at the church address.

Moana Sonoda is the 29th member of the Class of '72 to pass away. The last was George Kanalu Young on August 31, 2008.

Honoring Henry K. Guigni

2009-02-16T08:12:00.000-08:00

Laureen Kim sent me this article from the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA)newsletter last month. The article outlines the establishment of the Henry K. Guigni Archives at the University of Hawai'i. Henry had an esteemed career as a Washington D.C. insider, mostly on the staff the Senator Daniel K. Inouye and as a lobbyist, he is also the father of our classmate, Heather Guigni. You can read more about Henry Guigni's life by reading is extensive obituary published by the Honolulu Advertiser shortly after his death in 2005.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Nov/04/ln/FP511040348.html

From the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement Newsletter
January 27, 2009

Proposals sought for Native Hawaiian archives honoring late Henry K. Giugni

Press Release

Proposals are being solicited for an innovative new archive that will record and preserve personal histories of Native Hawaiians and the people of Hawai'i in digital and material forms accessible through the Internet.

The Henry Ku'ualoha Giugni Archives honors the former United States Senate Sergeant-At-Arms -- the first person of color and the first of Polynesian ancestry to hold the position -- who died in 2005. The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $191,593 to the University of Hawai'i for the project.

"The Giugni Archives will perpetuate and share the special history and culture of Native Hawaiians, and allow voices from the past to touch future generations. It will be especially valuable as a resource for creating educational materials, and for researchers," said U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye.

Senator Inouye's sentiment on the importance and cultural value of the archive is shared by U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka. "These archives will enable the sharing and perpetuation of the culture, collective memory, and history of a community that Henry Giugni so dearly loved. It will ensure that future generations have access to the traditional knowledge and wisdom of all indigenous peoples," said Senator Akaka.

The establishment of the Henry K. Giugni Archives at the Academy for Creative Media (ACM) at the University of Hawai'i is thanks to the efforts of Henry Giugni's daughter, local filmmaker Heather Giugni of Juniroa Productions Inc. She and ACM founder Chris Lee are leading a nationwide search for a consultant to begin plans for development of a facility capable of transferring existing recorded histories onto a permanent digital format, and also for high-definition recording of new video and oral histories of Hawai'i's kupuna.

"We have a society that is rapidly losing our collective memory in the passing of every kupuna and the destruction of recorded media due to age, climate conditions, and neglect. Our personal histories need to be recorded and preserved before we lose these treasures and their experiences forever. Heather and I are very grateful to Hawai'i's Senators Inouye and Akaka for the creation of this archive," said Lee.
"Hawai'i has needed an archive that cares for its photographic treasures both moving and still - treasures that will not only be saved but shared. Working alongside dedicated individuals such as Chris and others in our community will ensure the success of this effort," said Giugni.
The following is an excerpt from the Request for Proposals:

"The Henry Ku'ualoha Giugni Archives is a digital and material archive intended to perpetuate and share the special history and culture of Native Hawaiians and the people of Hawaii. Similar in approach to DENSHO, the Japanese American Legacy Project (http://www.densho.org/ ) and Stephen Spielberg's USC Shoah Foundation Institute (http://college.usc.edu/vhi/ ), but much broader in scope and mission, the HKG Archives seeks to document the history of an entire society.

"This funding is intended to hire a consultant to advise on the best practices to facilitate the sharing, perpetuating, and preserving of Hawai'i's culture, traditions, oral histories, and collective memory through the development of a facility with the ability to transfer existing films, television shows, and privately recorded histories such as super 8mm home movies, and preserve them on a safe, digital storage archive for current and future generations via both a virtual, internet-accessible museum, and a physical repository for the storage and viewing of such documents. In addition, the consultant will advise on the establishment of a high-definition production facility to record new video and oral histories of Hawai'i's kupuna."

The deadline for submissions is February 16, 2009. More information is available at http://navet.ics.hawaii.edu/hkg_rfp.html

Specific requests for the full Request for Proposal (RFP) can be made by contacting the Principal Investigator and Technical Representative: Dr. Stephen Itoga, at (808) 956-9639 or itoga@hawaii.edu

Harry is still Harry

2009-02-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

My wife Virginia I went to visit Harry last night and was surprised to see Peggy Dapitan (Aukake's wife) at the nurse's station. Harry was dozing since it was almost 8 p.m., but once I roused him from his morphine-induced fog, he was the same Harry I remember riding the Windward bus with me in 1968. He was as witty and quirky as he's always been. At one point, when his daughter called, he described our mini-reunion, "yeah, we still the same people, except I no mo leg and Benny no mo hair." Classic Harry Anderson.

As Harry told me the story of what happened to his leg, Virginia (an ICU nurse) explained the medical terminology to me, it was chilling because it could have happened to any of us. Harry has diabetes which creates a condition called peripheral vascular disease, which is poor circulation that turns the skin into a leather-like texture. Just the rubbing of his sock on his leg created a venous stasis ulcer, which opened a small wound. This wound became chronic and wouldn't heal and he had to have IV antibiotics and be under the care of a physician. Beneath the wound, he was developing pseudomonas, a bacteria found in long term chronic wounds and is very difficult to fight. After a 9 month battle, when the swelling and pain made it evident that the infection could spread into his blood stream and eventually kill him, the decision was made to amputate. Virginia tells me that this is very common among diabetics and an important reason to stay on top of blood sugar monitoring, proper diet and exercise. Harry did everything he could to take care of the wound once he got it, but carrying some extra pounds, not having much activity and being diabetic set him up for this scenario long before the ulcer showed up.

For the last 23 years, Harry has managed the psych ward at OCCC (Oahu Community Correctional Center). He hopes to go back to work at some point. He has a daughter, Gloria and a son, Joshua. If you would like to send him a card, his mailing address for the next two weeks will be:

Harry Anderson
c/o Castle Medical Center
Room 326
640 Ulukahiki Street
Kailua, HI 96734

When I asked Harry if he had any message for his classmates, he said, "Whatever your needs, Jesus leads." Well said, Harry.

Anything to Get a Discount!

2009-02-10T23:43:00.000-08:00

Last week Wednesday, Mike Kapuniai, Riley Smith and I helped celebrate Bimo's 55th with a little get together at Mr. Akiona's in Kona. The big activity of the day? Getting "senior" coffee at McDonalds!

GROSS NEGLIGENCE...

2009-02-08T13:53:00.000-08:00

the photo says it all... shot less then 2 hours ago. >Peter

Ceded Lands--Everything I didn't know...‏

2009-02-08T12:52:00.000-08:00

Aloha, '72 Classmates. This video cleared up alot of questions for me concerning Hawaii ceded lands. This was sent from; Gordon Lee, Jr '58, to maybe help us out-understand.

Milton Olmos/posted 2/8/09.
----------------------------
Aloha Kakou,

I thought I knew what ceded lands were but learned how little I knew after watching this tape by Dr. Keanu Sai. He makes it easy to understand. I thought this would be a good teaching video if you'd pass it on to your families. He puts a different slant on things. My question is: now what?

Well, the US Supreme Ct will hear oral arguments on the 25 of Feb on Hawaii vs OHA on the right to sell ceded lands. This should be interesting since Ginsberg is in the hospital. God bless her in her recovery.

COPY AND PASTE THE LINK BELOW INTO A NEW BROWSER:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8259955335214929894&hl=en

ALOHA,
Gordon Lee, Jr '58
President Kamehameha Schools Alumni East-Coast Region(19 States)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

At the end Dr. David Keanu Sai gives out his website address but it's very hard to follow, so here it is if you want to learn more: www2.hawaii.edu/~anu/

Milton Olmos email: jimolmos@hotmail.com

A Sense of Balance

2009-02-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, this is our "oldest" classmate, Rodney Bayne, surfing in the shadow of Diamond Head. "RB" turned 55 years old last October and is obviously still in awesome shape because he regularly surf's, paddles and snowboard's. I posted this picture to make point about "balance." Last summer, I took a physical fitness class that worked on strength, flexibility, cardio and balance. Strength, flexibility and cardio training are part of most fitness plans, but I had never heard a fitness plan that included "balance." The instructor told us that when most people reach their 50's, they stop doing activities that challenge their sense of balance (like hiking, surfing, climbing, bicycling, etc.), in essence, we tend to become less active. Soon we lose confidence in our sense of balance and stop doing physically challenging activities all together because we become fearful of falling.

When Bimo got married last year at Nawaawaa on the Big Island. Several classmates attended. One of them was Jeannine Holi who was awestruck by the coastal surroundings. She scampered out along the rocky coastline to the edge of the water. I was amazed by this because I don't have the confidence in my sense of balance to do what Jeannine did. She moved around on the treacherous rocks like they were stepping stones in your backyard. The difference between Jeannine and me is that she still regularly surfs and the only surfing I do is on the internet. In her mid-50's, she still has an incredible sense of balance.

Besides Rodney and Jeannine, we have many classmates that are still really active in the ocean like Ernie Akana, Riley Smith and Bimo Akiona. For the rest of us, we need to challenge our sense of balance everyday. One simple technique is brushing your teeth standing on one leg or walking on a low curb or wall. Anything we can do to help our sense of balance will help us to be more active and give us more confidence from suffering a catastrophic fall. Of course, you could always take up surfing!

2009-01-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

It's Milton Olmos in Virginia. Yes, even though I live 30-minutes outside of DC, when I woke up on inauguration day (Jan. 20th), it was 9-degrees. The news broadcast said that it was going to get up to 28*. Even though I voted for Barack, there was no way that you would find this Hawaiian okole out there it that tempature. I pray for him and am sure that he'll do a great job.

Anyway, it's 29 degrees here today in Virginia with 3" of snow, and I still need my Korean Kalbi ribs. So, here I am bbq-ing today!

Lucky you guys live Hawaii!

Milt

Tim Bachran's Mom, Laurie, wins National AARP Contest

2009-01-24T15:58:00.000-08:00

If you haven't been following the story of Laurie Bachran, mother of our classmate Tim Bachran, she has been vying for the title of AARP Readers Choice 2008 50+ Model Search, which she won in November of 2008. This was a nationwide contest with 16 other contestants and voting took place on the internet. She will be featured on the March-April AARP "The Magazine." She was also "Mrs. Hawaii" in 1963.

Tim wanted to thank all classmates who voted for her. Check this link out and watch her on the KGMB morning show.

www.kgmb9.com/main/content/view/12864/108

From the Coconut Wireless

2009-01-23T13:11:00.001-08:00

Heard from Peter Gonsalves today that Heather Guigni was at the inauguration on Tuesday. I'll see if I can connect with her and get an interview. It would be interesting to get her thoughts on what she experienced in DC. I followed KITV's reports on Obama's Punahou classmates who made the trek to inauguration. I imagined how overwhelming it was to watch your classmate become President of the United States. I wondered how many of us would go to DC for that. Probably a lot.

Heard from Laureen Kim, who is president of KSAA Northern California. The board of presidents are gathered on Maui for their quarterly meeting...... Also saw Bobette Fernandez Baucom's FaceBook page saying that it was snowing in Charlotte, NC, where she lives..... Joe Lapilio is on the Board of Directors at Ho`omau Ke Ola (substance abuse center in Waianae),
Hawaii Technology Institute and the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs (currently president of the Oahu Council)...... Kuule'i Bender Ho is still working for KS on Kaua'i. Joe Ahuna is planning to take his traveling family of Ahuna's on the road this spring, covering Utah, Kansas and Missouri between May 21 and June 8th....Aukake Dapitan is celebrating his wife, Peg's birthday today.....Patrick Richardson spent the Thanksgiving Holiday in Egypt with his wife, Viv and children David and Maile. Will try to post some pictures of Pat riding on a camel!

it's called Kaula Rock

2009-01-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

Weather the last 5 days has been awesome for flying and acquiring imagery. Flew west to Kaula Rock today. For those who don't know of it, this is a Bird Sanctuary 22 miles WSW of Niihau. Some history... 108 acres of Ceded Lands. December 13, 1924, per Govenor's Exective Order 173, Kaula was set aside for the U.S. Lighthouse Reservation for a Lighthouse Station to be under the management and control of the Dept. of Commerce. In 1952 the U.S. Coast Guard (successor to the Lighthouse Service) granted a revocable permit to the Dept. of the Navy to use Kaula as an aerial bombing target (live ammunition)... problem is, the permit has never been revoked. Typical huh? Take the land under a specific use and management arrangement, then flip it over to the Navy and bomb the crap out of it for 56 years. In 1978 the State of Hawaii tried canceling Exective Order 173 for good reason... for over 26 years it had ceased being used as a Lighthouse Station. In an 'Opinion on Title to the Island of Kaula' dated July 27, 1978 and submitted by Legal Counsel for the Dept. of the Navy... the position taken was, "that the island is owned by the United States and that transfer of jurisdiction, control, accountability and custody of Kaula Island to the Dept. of the Navy by the U.S. Coast Guard was proper and in conformance with United States law." How about we grant the Dept. of the Navy a irrevocable permit to use Dick Cheney's house instead? >Peter

The Mark of A Truly Historic Day

2009-01-21T11:31:00.000-08:00

I'm in Los Angeles at the moment and had the good fortune of being glued to my television set most of yesterday and well into the evening. The pomp and circumstance of the events in Washington DC had me mesmerized like the rest of the world. I must admit I shed some tears watching grown men and women weeping during the oath of office and the inaugural address. It was a historical day, one I won't forget.

I was up early this morning because I wanted to get a copy of the newspaper. At 7 a.m. in morning, in one of the largest cities in the world, I couldn't find a single newspaper. I went into a 7-11 and the clerk told me that every paper they had was sold out in less than an hour. I went to gas stations, super markets, convenience stores and nearby hotels. Nothing. Every paper sold out. I came back and turned the news on and found out that some people were buying 10, 15 or even 20 copies of the papers to keep for relatives or to send to friends overseas.

That's the mark of a truly historical day. If you have a copy of today's paper, you'd better keep it. Your grandchildren and great-grandchildren with thank you for it.

Canoe Club Fundraiser

2009-01-20T17:09:00.000-08:00

Got this announcement from Lois Wise

NA WAHINE O KE KAI FUNDRAISER

Date: Monday, Feb. 9, 2009

Time: 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Formaggio’s Restaurant Kailua

305 Hahani St.

Join the fun and support Na Wahine O

Ke Kai at our FUN FUNDRAISER.

Mention Na Wahine and we will get

10% of all bar and food purchases.

Lunch, dinner, pupu, drinks, music!

We appreciate and need your kokua

Is there a future Barack Obama at Kamehameha?

2009-01-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

Like the thousands of Hawaiian born citizens here and around the world, I watch Barack Obama with a lot of pride and gratitude. Pride in the natural "local boy makes good" story and gratitude that he acknowledges his Hawaii roots as an important part of who he is today. There's also something really cool about the fact that the most powerful person on the planet bodysurfs at Sandy, eats shave ice and plays golf in Kailua, just like many of us local people.

Given his 47 year journey from Kapi'olani Hospital to the White House, there's no doubt that thousands of Hawaii's school age children now believe that it's possible for a Hawaii-born person to become President of the United States. I think it's possible too. But unlikely, unless you take the route Obama did; which is leave Hawaii, settle in a major metropolitan area and work your way up through local, state and national politics.

The fact of the matter is: Hawaii is just too small for anyone to take you seriously on the national stage. Our most well known politician in the national arena, Sen. Dan Inouye, could become chairman of some of the senate's most powerful committees, but could never make a serious charge at the White House. Our contemporary, Mufi Hanneman ('72 Iolani), a Harvard grad and White House fellow, may become governor someday, but doesn't have a shot at Commander-in-Chief simply because he chooses to live in Hawaii, though he probably doesn't have any aspirations to be President.

If there is a young Barack Obama somewhere in Kamehameha's system, it will be someone who understands that the major issues of the world are bigger than Kamehameha, bigger than the Hawaiians and bigger than the people of Hawaii. And they will need the willingness and strength to fight these battles far beyond our distant state. The originators of our national civil rights movement waited 50 years to see the first African-American become President of the United States. I bet they never thought that person would come from Hawai'i.

DON'T CALL ME!

2009-01-18T17:00:00.000-08:00

Cell phone numbers go public TODAY. That means a lot of pesky telemarketing calls AND YOU GET CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS.

You can avoid unwanted calls by registering with the NATIONAL DO NOT CALL LIST. To get on this list, dial 888-382-1222 from your cellphone. You must call from the phone that has the number you want blocked. The "block" is good for 5 years.

Pass the word on to family, friends and classmates.

FACEBOOK Gone Wild!

2009-01-17T16:32:00.000-08:00

Since I posted up an item about classmates on FACEBOOK, many of you have either signed up or connected with me. How about this picture of Joe Ahuna and his famous fire knife dance. He wrote me and said he would come to the next reunion and reprise his high school fire dance performance where he almost burned up the auditorium! I also connected with Gail Kitagawa Ohta, (who I haven't seen since high school), Malia Matoon Newhouse, Willy Aona, Connie Roberston Haskell, Chris Dawe Opiopio, Kaua Bailey Ruttencutter and Julie Beth Wong Valdez. All of these classmates have FACEBOOK pages as well as many others.

Next stop for you tekkies? Let's "twitter" (go to www.twitter.com)!

Class of 1972 Super Bowl Charity Pool

2009-01-14T07:21:00.000-08:00

Every year I run a Super Bowl pool for the people in my life that want to make a friendly wager on the outcome of the big game. It cost $10 to get in, and if you're lucky, you can win the jackpot which has been about $500 the last couple of years. About a week ago, I got an email from Byron Ahina, who along with his wife Inez, live and work as missionaries in Yucatan, Mexico.
He was responding to my email inviting classmates to participate in the Super Bowl pool. This is the text of his email:

Hola Benny:

Please put me in for a square, and it will be donated to a house that we built in a town called Ticul this past summer that the funds wasn’t sufficient to cover the pouring of a floor. I will have our daughter send the check in. Gracias.

Aloha en Jesucristo,

Byron and Inez Ahina

A couple of days earlier, Verne Santos bought a square (in the gamblers pool) for the Class of 1972, donating the winnings of that square (if any) to the Class. I asked Byron if he thought we should have a "Charity Pool" that would allow people to buy $5 squares and donate the winnings to the charity of their choice. We both thought it would be a great idea so today we are launching the first

Class of 1972 Super Bowl Charity Pool

The rules are simple: the pool has 100 squares, each worth $5, so the total jackpot is worth $500. The pool is set up on a 10X10 grid (one team on the vertical side and one team on the horizontal side). The final score of each team will intersect on one square, and if you have that square, you WIN!! Once all the squares are sold, I'll email a grid that shows who has what squares. If you're the winner, a check to your favorite charity, non-profit or humanitarian cause will be sent on your behalf. So if you want to play, send your $5 check (or mulitiples of $5 if you want more squares) to: Charity Pool, c/o Benson Medina, 224 Kapalu St., Honolulu, HI 96813. Anyone can play, it doesn't have to be just our classmates.

Just email me(imua72@gmail.com) and let me know how many squares you want, you can send the money later. Good luck Everyone and Let's do some GOOD!!

Change is on the Way

2009-01-13T06:07:00.000-08:00

If you have a few minutes, check this video out sent by Liane Okamitsu.
http://flixxy.com/presidents-morphing.htm

What a Difference 10 Years Makes

2009-01-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

It was interesting reading the Honolulu Advertiser's front page this morning where the lead story blared, "Kamehameha Schools sees endowment drop by $1.7B". Because of the world-wide economic downturn, the estate's assets have lost almost two billion dollars or 18% of it's value. Despite the massive losses, the article stated "the investment downturn is not expected to have a severe impact on Kamehameha Schools educational spending policy. That policy is based not on single-year returns, but on a five-year rolling average of the value of Kamehameha Schools." Kirk Belsby, KS VP for Endowment, seemed confident that Kamehameha had the portfolio to survive the storm.

What makes this interesting to me is that it was just 10 short years ago that the Bishop Estate was racked by mis-management and disgraced by trustees that were more focused in their own self-interests than the mission of Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Try googling "Bishop Estate Trustees" and you'll be disgusted to find the first links that appear detail the antics of Lokelani Lindsey, Dickie Wong, Henry Peters and Gerard Gervis. It's disgusting because that's what people find when they want information on the Bishop Estate.

Since the courts "cleaned house" ten years ago, the quiet leadership of present trustees Douglas Ing, Nainoa Thompson, Diane Plotts, Robert Kihune and Corbett Kalama have rebuilt the Estate to profitability and respectability. We should be hearing more about the Schools, their programs and the students and not the activities of trustees. Remember when we were in school and we only saw the trustees at founders day, song contest and graduation?

Want To Be My Friend?

2009-01-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you all recognize Mahealani Richardson on the left of this picture. The guy in the middle is her brother John and both are the younger siblings of our classmate Patrick Richardson. The woman on the right is another first cousin, Bebe Richardson, who you may recognize if you've gone through the court system because she's actually "Judge Richardson." I still love and respect her even though she's an "Obama-hou" grad. I'm connected to them because they are all Holly's first cousins.

About 6 months ago, Mahealani sent me a email that had a video attached to it. When I clicked on the video, it took me to the FACEBOOK website. In order for me to watch the video, I had to join FACEBOOK. I thought, "this is BS!" and left the site. A few days later, I began to get curious about what was on the video Mahealani sent, I had some time, so I went back in and joined the wretched site. Somehow, FACEBOOK seemed a little less juvenile than MY SPACE (no offense to MY SPACE people), so I thought I would sign up, watch the video and never come back to it again. I did manage to finally watch the video, but I honestly can't remember what it was about. I was too mesmerized by the technology that was drawing me into the world of "social networking."

I guess what happens is FACEBOOK goes into your address book and finds people that you know that are FACEBOOK members. Then it asks you if you want to be "friends" with them which means you can connect your site with theirs. Pretty soon, familiar names start showing up: Tommy Thompson, Byron Ahina, Milton Olmos, LJ Moana (Butchie) Lee, Deborah Lau Okamura. Very soon, Sue Peterson "writes on my Wall" (a way to send messages to each other) because she is trying to figure out how to use FACEBOOK too. During my free time, I try to muddle through it because it looks like fun once you figure it out. Pretty soon, more familiar names start to show up, George Young, BJ DeMello Tang, Aukake Dapitan, Donalei Ho, Joanne Takatsugi, Patrick Richardson, Pauahi Thompson Nichols. The crazy thing is that you're now connected to everyone else's networks. One of the people I connect with regularly is Liana Iaea Honda, who is the sister-in-law of Mason Honda.

The other thing that happens is your FACEBOOK site now has an "address" so people can Google you and find you pretty easily. I recently heard from a woman I worked with 25 years ago who found me on the internet. It was great to connect with her again. Of course, the downside is that you are now "in the open" so people have access to the information you make public.

I like the challenge of staying on top of the technology that is making our world smaller, but I'm definitely no whiz at it. It's kind of fun muddling through this with a group of people (our classmates) that are brave enough to try to figure this out. We send each other notes when we figure something out (its kind of like celebrating when your blood pressure or cholesterol goes down a few points). I think that's part of what makes our class a special group, is that we take the time and make the effort to stay connected. Twenty-five years from now, we'll all be in our respective retirement homes sitting in front of our computers comparing medications and our favorite flavors of Jello. But at least we'll be able to do it.

Oh, the website is www.facebook.com if you want to be "friends" with us. Aloha!

Life in the Blogesphere

2009-01-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

One of the first people to respond to my email yesterday about my career as a professional blogger was our classmate, Connie Robertson Haskell. Before you go scrambling to your yearbooks, I'll tell you that Connie was only there for our freshman year. Luckily, she sat next to me in freshman ATP (with Mr. Born), so I did get to know her. Anyway, Connie is a "blogger" herself after giving up the corporate life on Oahu and settling on the Big Island.

Investigating her "creative" side, Connie took up painting, graphic/design marketing and wood working. But she wanted to do something creative with her writing so she started two blogs in addition to her private family blog, "Robertson Stew." Her personal blog is called "Does this Blog Make My Mouth Look Big" http://hanakuli.blogspot.com/
and "Coconut Girl - Island Inspired Living" http://hawaiiannative.blogspot.com/

One of the customary points of the blogging community is that you try to link or share other writers blogs when appropriate. Connie said she saw an interview on Martha Stewart stating that there was a lack of "older bloggers" so our generation needs to get more technical savvy because there's some great content and information out there. If you find some good blogs out there that are worth reading, let us know. Aloha...

Connecting with Classmates

2009-01-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

Connected with several classmates today including Liane Ching Kelly who emailed to let me know she had a really active 2008 which included changing jobs, moving from Indianapolis to Dallas, selling her house and buying a new one and traveling cross country to spend time with family. She also lost her Dad this year but feels upbeat and positive about 2009.....Lisa Porter Kleissner also emailed to say she will be coming to Hawaii more this year (from her California home) including a trip at the end of the month with husband, Charly.....Milton Burgess called and said he's been on vacation for the last two weeks (spent a week on Kauai). He feels great and is looking forward to retiring in a couple of years and playing more golf......Ran into to Kevin Vindinar in Kailua. Kevin is the husband of Rickie Miyahana Vindinar. Rickie emailed to say they are in the process of moving from Waimanalo to Kaneohe.....also got "best wishes" emails from Bo Aki, Lois Wise and Aukake Dapitan.

The Night the Lights Went Out.....

2009-01-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

Just before the massive blackout on Oahu the day after Christmas, me Terry, Chubby and Peter got together for a leisurely dinner at Buzz's in Lanikai. Behind me is Mike Hansink, my friend since 4th grade. As soon as we paid the bill, the power went out!

Take a Stand on Ceded Lands

2009-01-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

I received this email from our classmate, Pauahi Thompson Nichols last week. This is a huge issue for all of us, especially the "50% er's" (like me), who are the main beneficiaries of the trust set up by Congress (thank you Betty Yap Lau for pointing that out). Benny

(For more information, go to www.StopSellingCededLands.com. Please circulate this e-mail widely. Mahalo.)

Aloha kakou,

On Saturday January 17, 2009, there will be march and rally against the State of Hawai'i's ongoing attempt to sell the lands which rightfully belonged to the Hawaiian Kingdom at annexation. These lands do not belong to the State of Hawai'i nor to the federal government, but rather they are held in trust for Native Hawaiians for several purposes, including "the betterment of the condition of Native Hawaiians (1959 Statehood Admissions Act).

Make no mistake, selling lands that rightfully belonged to the Hawaiian Kingdom will not benefit kanaka maoli. The Hawai'i Supreme Court acknowledged this in its pono January 2008 decision, citing the Apology Resolution as grounds for preventing further sale of "ceded" crown lands until all claims to those lands are resolved. While Governor Lingle and her staff argue that they are simply trying to clear up a minor legal issue of title to these lands, the ramifications of this legal maneuver are far-reaching...

Already those who seek to dismantle all programs and resources dedicated to the preservation of Native Hawaiians have seized this opportunity to propagate their revisionist Hawaiian history in the national media. Here is a sampling of their egregious statements (see bolded language in particular): "The state and Grassroots Institute of Hawai'i believe the Newlands Resolution of 1898 (the law annexing the Republic of Hawaii to the U.S.), as well as the statehood vote and Admission Act of 1959 and subsequent federal legislation address and effectively dismiss any claims Native Hawaiians may have had." (see this link for the full article -http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?a318d495-dcab-4772-862f-00cb4de5b351)

This situation is URGENT. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the State's petition on February 26, 2009. Please spread this e-mail far and wide, and please consider the following 3 concrete actions which you can take to prevent further taking of our lands:

MARCH AND RALLY

On Saturday, January 17, 2009, please wear red shirts and meet at Kapi'olani Park (corner of Saratoga and Kalakaua) for a march (10am) and rally (11:30am). Go to www.StopSellingCededLands.com for all the information you will need.

FAST AND PRAY

Thursday, February 26, 2009 is the day the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the State's petition to overturn the Hawai'i Supreme Court's pono ruling unless the State withdraws its petition first. I URGE US TO FAST AND PRAY AS A PEOPLE. Together, let's beseech Ke Akua to preserve our people by preserving our crown lands. Wherever you live (in the islands or abroad), please consider sacrificing one, two or all of your meals on Thursday February 26, 2009 in order to humble ourselves and seek His blessing and protection.

Some valuable Scriptures to help you better understand the Biblical basis for fasting in times like these:

FAST FOR DIRECTION (Ezra 8:21, 23, 31) - "I proclaimed a fast...that we might humble ourselves before God, to seek from Him a straight way for ourselves, our children, and all our goods."

FAST FOR PROTECTION (2 Chronicles 20:1-30) where three nations were coming against Judah to destroy them. King Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, proclaimed a fast for the whole nation and they asked the Lord what they should do. God heard their prayer and their fast and gave the people prophetic direction.

FAST FOR REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION (Acts 9:3-9) where the apostle Paul was confronted by a resurrected Jesus. He responded by fasting and praying in repentance for persecuting the early church and dishonoring Jesus as the true Son of God.

EDUCATE AND COMMUNICATE

I've attached a recent Honolulu Advertiser article at the end of this e-mail which is a very concise description of the legal support for our position as Native Hawaiians. We cannot risk another decision like Rice v. Cayetano from a U.S. Supreme Court which is not fully educated about the unique history of Hawai'i nor fully sensitized to the plight of the aboriginal peoples' of Hawai'i to survive in our homeland. Please take every opportunity to educate yourself (see www.StopSellingCededLands.com) and to communicate with others on this vital matter. It's time for us to wake up, and to wake others up. 'E holopono me ka lokahi!!!

Me ke aloha pumehana o 'Iesu Cristo,

Noelani Jai

Noelani@HawaiiansUnite.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December 28, 2008

State court correct in protecting ceded lands

By Jon M. Van Dyke and Melody Kapilialoha MacKenzie

In January 2008, our Hawai'i Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision, authored by Chief Justice Ronald Moon, holding that the state is prohibited from selling or transferring any of the 1.2 million acres of "ceded" lands until the unrelinquished claims of Native Hawaiians to those lands have been resolved through the political process.

Gov. Linda Lingle's administration has criticized this decision and has sought review from the United States Supreme Court, but its criticism and those of others have missed a crucial element of the decision — the state's trust duty to administer the ceded lands for the benefit of both Native Hawaiians and the general public.

The "ceded" lands are those lands that had been the Crown Lands and Government Lands during the Kingdom of Hawai'i and were later "ceded" by the Republic of Hawai'i to the United States as part of the 1898 annexation. These lands were never added to the public lands of the United States and have always been held in trust. In the 1959 Statehood Admission Act, the state accepted responsibility for administering the ceded lands for five trust purposes, including "the betterment of the conditions of Native Hawaiians." The Admission Act required the lands to be managed and disposed of "in such manner as the constitution and laws" of the state of Hawai'i may provide.

In 1978, the people of Hawai'i amended the state Constitution to state clearly that these lands were to be held as a public trust for two trust beneficiaries — Native Hawaiians and the general public.

Although much attention has been focused on the Hawai'i Supreme Court's interpretation of the 1993 Congressional Apology Resolution, it is really the court's reliance on Hawai'i trust law that led to its ultimate conclusion. In examining relevant law — including the Admission Act, the state Constitution, and earlier Hawai'i cases — our Supreme Court found that the state of Hawai'i has a fiduciary duty to Native Hawaiians in relation to the ceded lands. The court said that "the state, as trustee, must adhere to high fiduciary duties normally owed by a trustee to its beneficiaries." These duties include, the court explained, "the obligation that the trustee deal impartially when there is more than one beneficiary."

The Hawai'i Supreme Court found that the facts recounted in the Apology Resolution and similar state legislation put the state, as trustee of the ceded lands, on notice that Native Hawaiians have unresolved claims to the ceded lands. The court concluded that although the Apology Resolution and similar state legislation do not require that ceded lands be turned over to the Native Hawaiian people, they do recognize that Native Hawaiians have unrelinquished claims to the lands. Thus, transfer of the ceded lands by the state to third parties would amount to a breach of trust by favoring the interests of one beneficiary — the general public — over the interests of the other beneficiary — Native Hawaiians.

In this light, the Hawai'i Court's determination that "the Apology Resolution and related state legislation, give rise to the state's fiduciary duty to preserve the corpus of the public lands trust, specifically, the ceded lands, until such time as the unrelinquished claims of the Native Hawaiians have been resolved," makes absolute sense.

In deciding whether an injunction was appropriate, the court stated: "Obviously, without an injunction, any ceded lands alienated from the public lands trust will be lost and will not be available for the future reconciliation efforts." Importantly, the court recognized that monetary compensation in lieu of the lands themselves would be inadequate given the inextricable link between Native Hawaiians and their land. The court thus called for a moratorium on the transfer of these lands "pending final resolution of Native Hawaiian claims through the political process." (Emphasis added.) Similar moratoria have been issued in Alaska while the claims of Alaska natives were being sorted out, in New Zealand while a process to resolve the Maori claims was being established, and in Arizona to protect lands claimed by the Pueblo Indians.

Recently, the Lingle administration filed its brief in the U. S. Supreme Court which argues that Native Hawaiians have no legal claim to the ceded lands. This position is inconsistent with the Apology Resolution, similar state legislation, and the proposed Akaka Bill, all of which recognize that the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i was illegal and that the Native Hawaiian people have unresolved claims to the lands. The administration has also incorrectly asserted that the Hawai'i Supreme Court found that the state does not have good title to the ceded lands. In fact, the opinion expressly stayed away from that issue and explained that "the issue of Native Hawaiian title to the ceded lands will be addressed through the political process."

Clearly, our Supreme Court looked at both the legal and equitable issues involved in this case and sought to strike a balance. Although it declined to rule on the ultimate claims of Native Hawaiians to the ceded lands, the court has protected the lands from dissipation until a political resolution can be achieved. As the court stated:

"In this case, Congress, the Hawai'i state Legislature, the parties, and the trial court all recognize (1) the cultural importance of the land to Native Hawaiians, (2) that the ceded lands were illegally taken from the Native Hawaiian monarchy, (3) that future reconciliation between the state and the Native Hawaiian people is contemplated, and (4) once any ceded lands are alienated from the public land trust, they will be gone forever."

The Hawai'i Supreme Court's decision is firmly based on Hawai'i's Constitution, statutes and case law, and our state's highest court correctly interpreted Hawai'i trust law to reach both a legally correct and morally just decision.

Jon M. Van Dyke teaches constitutional law and international law at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's William S. Richardson School of Law and is the author of "Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawai'i?" Melody Kapilialoha MacKenzie is an assistant professor at the William S. Richardson School of Law, where she teaches Native Hawaiian Law courses and is the author of the "Native Hawaiian Rights Handbook." In their private capacities, Van Dyke and MacKenzie are part of the team of lawyers representing the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in the State v. OHA case now pending before the United States Supreme Court. They wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.

Wow, What a Year

2009-01-01T04:47:00.000-08:00

Aloha and Happy New Year to all my fellow classmates from our great class of 1972.

As I sit here freezing (not really, it's 7 degrees outside and 68 inside), my thoughts turn to home in the Hawaiian islands and I wonder what the heck I'm doing here in Binghamton, NY and contemplating when would be a good time to head back to Oahu for a visit. I'm glad 2008 is over and 2009 is a here with such promise. We have a Punahou grad headed for the white house with a vision of hope and change. I wish him well in helping our nation overcome the many challenges we all face in the world and at home.

I was reading a book this morning entitled "The Great Human Diasporas: The History of Diversity and Evolution." Yesterday evening I watched a program entitled "The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey," with geneticist, Dr. Spencer Wells. It is fascinating to find that our history is encoded in our DNA and to learn of the use of population genetics and molecular biology to help determine human origins. This type of research has been extremely important in helping to resolve a long-running debate on where modern humans first evolved.

Last year, I had my DNA analyzed through a project called The Genographic Project which is sponsored by the National Geographic Society, IBM, and the Waite Family Foundation. Initially, I had my Y-chromosome for my paternal line analyzed out to 12 markers with The Genographic Project, then out to 25 markers once transferred to the Family Tree DNA project. Not surprising, my haplogroup is a common one out of western Europe, R1b1b2a1b. I'm having my dad's mtDNA analyzed for our maternal lineage which I believe will show connection to our Polynesian maternal ancestor, a woman named Hio. I encourage you to do the same, especially with parents who are still with us.

Hawaii has a unique place in the history of man. One author on geocities discusses it as such. "As Polynesians trekked through the Pacific, using a sophisticated celestial navigation system and large, sturdy boats, they settled the western part of Polynesia first. They were intentional settlers. When they left, they provisioned their longboats with all the things they knew were essential for life on a new island: chickens, pigs, dogs, taro root, bananas, coconuts and other foodstuffs. In the beginning, they also took pottery, but by the time they settled Hawaii, Polynesians had lost the craft of making pottery; they had stopped taking it with them. Hawaii, the world’s most isolated island chain, was one of the last places on Earth to be settled at about 1600 years ago. Surprisingly, people had managed to "miss" New Zealand and, when Hawaiian voyagers found it around 800 years ago, the world was finally "full."

I don't know if it's been proved inconclusively that Hawaiian voyagers found New Zealand, but it certainly makes one think about our seafaring ancestors and how bold they were to go forth into the Pacific ocean looking to settle new lands or if by chance they were adrift and found the islands by chance. For myself, I feel good about being here on earth getting ready to voyage forth into our 55th year.

So I close this blog entry with good thoughts of the future to come and hope this entry finds all of you in good health and good spirits.

Aloha,
Tommy Thompson KS 72
Binghamton, NY

Some Great Pictures of the Reunion in Vegas

2008-12-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Debbie Lau Okamura for these pictures. In addition to Debbie, Sue Peterson, Lowell Deering, Joe Smith, Thomas Paakaula, Monica Yim Takashima, Diane Ling Corcoran, Betty Yap Lau, Issac Akuna, Pauahi Thompson Nichols and Laureen Kim and spouses are pictured here. The 2009 All Kamehameha Reunion has already been set for October 29-31.

Mahalo June Jones!

2008-12-20T08:02:00.000-08:00

In the legal dispute between the University of Hawai'i and June Jones over his contract terms as Head Coach of the Warriors (for which JJ was in receipt of an email and a gentlemen's agreement from former AD Dick Head Herman which stated that those final terms regarding the length of JJ's contract would be waived), a settlement has been agreed to by both parties. Of course a 'gentlemen's agreement' is distinct from a legal agreement because it relies on HONOR. Under the agreement, which was announced in a joint statement released yesterday, the June Jones Foundation has donated $100,000 to Na Lei O'iwi Scholarship Fund in the name of the late Kanalu Young. eo eo na toa e.

Mokuleia & Waialua 16Dec08

2008-12-16T21:10:00.000-08:00

Flew out to the North Shore today, 4 days after the heavy rains it's still looking pretty bad out there. Heavy erosion everywhere in the gulches on the Wahiawa Plain. Kiikii & Paukauila streams will be running red into Kaiaka Bay for awhile. >Peter

Kunuiakea Stadium 6 years old already

2008-11-26T19:49:00.000-08:00

Tifway Bermuda getting a needed top dressing at the end of football season.

Vegas Report from Betty Yap Lau '72

2008-11-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

"Let's see, my excuse to get to Vegas was, I had to bring the most important ingredient to my cousin's wedding, the LEIS. No, not kalei eggs. Fresh pikake, maile, tuberose, puakenikeni, orchids, cigar and ginger leis. The top of the Mandalay Bay at the Foundation Room, never smelled so good! Kinda cool an elevator only for that floor, WITH a real live GUARD! Looking out on the lanai there were, hello, huge golden letters MANDALAY BAY staring at us. WOW! Felt like we were on the top of Vegas world.

Hung out in Vegas for a whole week (real hard), until Pauahi Thompson picked me up after driving up from Huntington Beach. The real fun was about to begin. As we entered The Orleans, a couple of female '49 grads welcomed us, and on the elevator we met a '41 handsome dude. Had 99¢ margaritas with my cousin Casey Yim '66 and sister Regina Yap '66 celebrating their 60th birthdays. Pat (Diane) Ling joined us in costume at Englebert Humperdink, then we were off to the Masquerade Ball!!! What a gala event!!! with another newfound cousin, dressed in full-on egyptian queen-drag, Keahi Trask '76. We all danced the night away; and at the bewitching hour; skipped to the bowling alley where we bowled till 3!!! My team boasted 3 handsome gentlemen graduates from the class of '60 -'62. Get ready class of '72, next year, God willing, we will be celebrating our '55th in Las Vegas!!!"

Note from Issac Akuna:

Yeah, Gloria and I had a blast in Vegas with all the gang. It was so good to see everybody. I don't think I had seen Lowell since we got our diploma ! I would concur with Betty that we all get ready for next year. Sorry I couldn't make the bowling... I was attending a financial seminar... at the crap table. Kawika Trask's costume was definitely over the top...worth the price of admission. Might this be an annual event?

Take care. Isaac

New Adventure for Robyn Au

2008-11-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

Got this email last week from our classmate, Robyn Au:

"I am leaving the Army Corps of Engineers as I have accepted a position with the Department of Defense Education Activity. My duty station will be at Torii Station, Okinawa, Japan. It is a minimum two-year tour of duty. I spent my birthday packing out my house, and the movers finished today. I am now cleaning it. Anyway, my daughter, Jenna, and I leave for Okinawa on Sunday, 9 November.

My new e-mail address will be: Robyn.Au@pac.dodea.edu.

Would you please let our classmates know about my new adventure?"

Mahalo nui,

Robyn Au
PSC 560 Box 228
APO AP 96376-0228

Man, you know times have changed when I end up posting a pic of me holding Benny's piss bag...

2008-11-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

Photo was taken in the hallway of St. Vincent Hospital in Portland the day after Benny's successful surgery to remove a cancerous prostate. Terry & I flew up for a week to be with Benny, much mahalo to Sheri & Lee Garboden for putting us up at their beautiful home in Beaverton. Pictured from L>R is Benny's good friend Brad Durham (grandson of the legendary football coach & AD Paul Durham), Lee, Benny & myself the piss bag boy. Something really funny (well, funny to everyone but Benny) happened moments after this photo was snapped. I was distracted for a moment and started to walk away from Benny while holding on to the bag. Of course the tube at the other end is firmly planted up his urethra and my actions produced a very audible "WO-WO-WO!" from Benny. I stopped in time, but it's been awhile since I laughed so hard. Sunday night we had a great dinner at Sheri & Lee's home and were joined by classmates Mason Honda & Sheri Cockett. A great trip, but mostly we were relieved by the results of his surgery. a hui hou! >Peter

NOTE FROM BENNY: I want to thank the many classmates (Bimo, Riley, Mike Kapuniai, Sue, Debbie, Duane,Diane Ling, Betty Lau, John Leong, George Costa, and others) who contacted me to convey well-wishes and support during my brief bout with prostate cancer. I was diagnosed in early September and took the advice of our classmate, Dr. Clayton Chong and my doctors here in Portland to have my prostate and several lymph nodes removed surgically. After a difficult 5 hour surgery on Wednesday, October 29th, they found no cancer outside my prostate or in my lymph nodes (they saw an undefined mass in one of my pelvic lymph nodes that was suspicious for cancer). Once again, I am humbled by the power, strength and faith of my classmates when the chips are down. Especially the ones who live in the Portland area (Sheri Awai Garboden, Mason Honda, Chubby Kea Ringer, Sheridan Cockett) and to Peter and Terry Gonsalves who made the trip from Hawai'i to be there by my side. I'm recovering in Portland right now, but will be back in Hawai'i permanently on November 26th. Mahalo Everyone!!

Rendezvous

2008-10-26T01:04:00.001-07:00

On the first day of September, classmates Audreen Crowder Williams, BJ Tang, and Liane Sing, gathered to talk story at Kualoa Ranch. Audreen's daughter Kanani, married Rooke Keliipuleole on a beautiful cloudless day with Chinaman's Hat and the blue Pacific as a back drop.

Audreen and her husband Martin, reside in Port Angeles, Washington.

There's Still Time for Vegas!

2008-09-23T06:30:00.001-07:00

If you are still thinking about attending the "All Kamehameha Reunion" in Las Vegas, there's still time to register. Go to this link and download the registration form. There is also more information on the activities planned. Registration deadline is September 30.

http://alumni.ksbe.edu/alumni/ksaa/intermountainregion.php

KS72 Classmates who will be attending: Sue Peterson, Debbie Lau Okamura, Monica Yim Takashima, Lowell Deering, Betty Yap Lau, Joe Smith and Laureen Kim

Highlights of George's Service

2008-09-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

Highlights of George's Service

Tommy Young (George's brother) and John Osorio delievered stirring eulogies. George and his family were welcomed at Kamakakuokalani with a chant of mourning.

Many people shared stories on how George helped or inspired them. Albert Kaai sang "Pili Kau", an original song composed by George.

Joanne Makalena representing our class by chanting George's oli "He Po La'i". Merri Bea Lake sang 2 songs accompanied by Issac Akuna and Albert Kaai.

Even though George has gone....he brought us together :-)

Those that came...

Lois Wise
Sue Peterson
Debbie and Brian Okamura
Peter and Terry Gonsalves
Dan Kalili
Laureen Kim
Butchie Lee and Glen Merchant
Joanne Makalena Takatsugi
Mary Bea Lake
Rodney Bayne
John Leong
Richard Holloway
Albert and Mahina Kaai
Issac Akuna
Roland Chang
Alika Atay
Wendall Titcomb
Joe Doughty
Leonard Batungbacal
Ernie and Luana Akana
George and Crystal Costa
David Osorio
Gerard Akaka
George Seymour
Jeannie Bellefeuile Holi
Rolland Harvest
Venus Head Colon
Pauahi Colburn
Karynne Morgan Chong
Joey Akeo
Debbie Sanborn
Renae and Bill Villa
Barbara and Tom Orrell
BJ Tang
Verne Santos
Llewlynn Biven
Skippy Lopes
Edwina Kalahiki

A Correction.......

2008-09-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

Benny's birthday is Wednesday...the 24th! On Thursday he will be 84 years and 1 day old!

He probably won't tell you....

2008-09-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

Benson Medina's birthday is this Thursday, September 24th. He will be 84 Years Old.

a ride on the Hokule'a

2008-09-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

Kanalu had always wanted to sail on the Hokule'a, but his physical limitations and timing issues always seemed to get in the way. Sunday evening he took his ride along with members of the Young Ohana and people from Kamakakuolani who were close to him. A big mahalo to Nainoa Thompson for offering this opportunity to the Young Ohana and to the Hokule'a crew for making it a reality. - Peter

Kamakakuokalani 9/13/08 a 'Celebration of Life'

2008-09-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

Terry & I along with Victor would like to thank all of you who donated funds and your kokua towards the food prepared for our brother Kanalu's Funeral Service @St. Mark's Church and his 'Celebration of Life' at Kamakakuokalani (photos)...

Tommy Young, Bimo Akiona, Lori Thompson-Weeks, Verne Santos, Butchie Lee & Glenn Merchant, Lois Wise, Rodney Bayne, Debbie & Brian Okamura, Marie Quintica-Cuomo, Joe Souza, Gerard & Belinda Akaka, Mary & Kimo Bacon, Jo Ann Lum, BJ Tang, Pauahi Akuna, Venus Colon, Sue Peterson, Joanne Makalena, Laureen Kim, Earl Hoke, Dan Kalili, Richard Holloway, Roland Chang, John Leong, Ernie & Luana Akana, Wendell Titcomb, Alika Atay, George & Chrystal Costa, Jeannine Holi & Joe D. I would also like to thank Victor's cousin Kekau and his wife Al for the use of their home in Kapahulu as a site for food preparation and the kokua from their entire ohana... much Mahalo! e kala mai if I have overlooked anyone, it was one of Victor's 24 hour blitzes from 4pm Friday to 4pm yesterday. The bottom line... with your kind donations, along with funds donated from Kamakakuokalani (Jon Osorio, Pua Santos, Tino Ramirez, and others) we were able to provide a healthy spread for (500+) at a cost of about $1 per head to the Young Ohana. Mahalo Nui!

Lastly, I would like to thank Jon Osorio, Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa and everyone at the Center for Hawaiian Studies for providing Kamakakuokalani as a venue as well as the proper Protocol for Kanalu's 'Celebration of Life'

- Peter Gonsalves

2008-09-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

Parking information for George Young's church mass: Limited parking is available in the lot across the street from St. Mark's Church - $2 flat rate will be given if you tell the attendant that you are attending the Young funeral at the church.
George's family is deeply touched by all of the comments and well wishes from our class. Mahalo!

More on George Young

2008-09-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

This email from Gary Okada:

Aloha Everyone:

I have been out of touch for a long timeI have just returned home from a long stay, since July (working) at the Kalaupapa Settlement on Molokai.I was very saddened to read about George. The last time I saw him was in 2000 at Ala Moana. I remember him yelling across the lobby out loud going "hey hey Gary, you remember me ? I laughed and said how could anyone not remember you. We talked a while and he had that big unforgetfull smile on his face. Just last year I emailed mysteriously to "Kanalu" on our email list, and I asked, who are you ? As I honestly did not know that was George's Hawaiian name, DUH...........The response I got was a big laugh and who do you think this is Gary ??? Its me GEORGE..........We laughed, talked a bit and I wished him well.I shared with him an incident that happened to my son at the wall where George had gotten injured and I told George that my son got off lucky and had only a partial paralysis and in time he had gotten most of his sensory feeling back. I told George that I could not know the pain he had to endure and the frustration of not being able to physically do things but I could understand it, just watching my own son go through it.George being the way he was just said, "Well you make do and you overcome it in time."

At the Kalaupapa Settlement I met a man (resident) who I got to be good friends with and he told me of hisenduring life's journey as an (outcast) as he put it. He told me that he went from feeling sorry for himself, ashamed and embarrassed all the way to going back to college, graduating and then becoming a teacher at the U of H. in Hawaiian studies and other things.Mind you, This man is also blind with a seeing eye dog in addition to being a leprosy patient with many physical deformities. He told me of a young man that was HIS inspiration, a man that had "lit his fire", someone that made himfeel he could overcome, and he did. When he completed his story and his last words were, I will never forget him, he and I today are the best of friends, his name is George Young, "Kanalu", I was floored.I was in awe. How big our earth and so small our lives that 2 people could actually connect by coincidence or circumstance. I promised him this week, when I left Kalaupapa that I would write to George when I came home and would tell him I met one of his best friends from long ago. I am saddened that I could not do that now, and I am sorry that I will not run into George any more and see that big beaming smile of his.

I guess life is too short................

And this email from Milton Olmos, who sent George a birthday greeting via email earlier this year. This was George's response:

Mahalo Milt,
I really backed into teaching without any intention or deliberate choices being made whatsoever. To do a friend a favor back in 1983, I served as a substitute in two of his classes at UH Manoa. That experience lasted two and half years, he came home, I went off to get the credentials needed to continue teaching something at the college level. I'm so blessed to have been in the right place at the right time that subsequent similar experiences since then have given me back more than the accident in 1969 ever took away. I can say that in all truth with acknowledgment that goes along with it that of course, not to stand on a surfboard, or play my ukulele, or make my family a gourmet meal won't happen with me in the key physical role, then I'm okay.

And watching surfing at the beach makes me smile, listening to Israel Kamakawiwo'ole play his ukulele and sing, and enjoying Sam Choy's cuisine at his Daimond Head restaurant two blocks from my house may be the next best thing and doing all of those special activities myself physically, but the very fact I'm still here is my bottom line. I know God wants me to continue to be a positive influence on others so as long as I'm doing that I feel right with myself.

Mahalo again for the birthday greeting.

George

Funeral Arrangements for George Young

2008-09-05T23:35:00.000-07:00

Here are the details for George's Memorial Service:

Date: Saturday, September 13th

Place: St. Mark's Church, 539 Kapahulu Avenue.
http://www.episcopalhawaii.org/ViewOrgUnit.php?OrgUnitID=29

Time: Doors open at 8 a.m.
Memorial Service from 9:00 to 12:00. Mass at the church is 9:15 - 11:30, their interpretation of mass includes the eulogies

Luncheon served from 1:00 to 4 p.m. Kamakakuokalani (Center for Hawaiian Studies at UH), 2645 Dole Street. next to Kanewai Community Park below Saint Louis Heights. Kamakakuokalani is also helping with the food and donations at their hale. Pualani Kauila is coordinating with Victor. Parking at UH Manoa is street parking or the lot next to the center for a flat $3 rate.

12:30 Opening Protocol - Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa
Father Hitchcock - Blessing

From 12-4:00 p.m. there will be a "Celebration of Life" which will include food, music and talk story. The Class of '72 is providing the food for this event, Victor Punua and Peter Gonsalves are in charge. Please email me if you are interested in helping in the kitchen. If you would like to donate some money to help defray the cost of the food, you can send your donation to Peter Gonsalves, 45-506 Noi'i, Kaneohe, HI 96744. Any donations received above the cost of the food will go to George's family.

Parking is limited at St. Mark's, so on-street parking is your best bet. The chapel only holds about a 100 people, with room for another 130 outside. Aloha Week Parade also starts a 930 a.m. on the 13th.

There will be no services held on the Kamehameha Schools campus.

Here is the link to George's obituary that appeared in the Advertiser:
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080906/NEWS01/809060325/1001

Aloha Kanalu

2008-09-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

It is with deep sadness to hear of the passing of our dear friend and classmate, George Kanalu Young. He was definitely a true "Warrior" in every sense of the word. I am deeply honored and humbled to have a known such a man who accomplished much more that a lot of us have and still trying to in our lives. We will miss you George. But, in our hearts and in our memories you will be remembered always...........until we meet again, Gary & Mikilani Nihipali

Want to Post Something on the Blog?

2008-09-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

If you want to post stories, pictures, responses, etc. on the Blog, here's how you do it.

Go to this link https://www.blogger.com/start

In the user name enter: imua72

Password: kapalama

While we are trying to promote a "free flowing forum" for our classmates, by giving the out the user name and password, we open ourselves up to anyone in world that wants to post up material on our blog. Consequently, I must reserve the right to edit, alter or delete any information that is inaccurate, offensive or not relative to our class. Please help me to look after the Blog and report anything that needs to be looked at a bit closer. Mahalo, Benny

Lost for words...

2008-09-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

Rarely am I lost for words....it is with much difficulty that I attempt to express the void I have in my heart....

This week, we lost an incredible human being....George and I became friends the summer of 1970. I met George for the first time at the Rehabilitation Center of Hawaii...I was a volunteer "candy striper" and he was a patient. My first assignment was to assist a spirited and somewhat angry young man with lunch. It was shortly after he accidently bit my finger...thinking it was part of the sandwich, we realize we were classmates at "Kam School"! Little did we know, that our first lunch would lead to a lifetime friendship. We spent that summer playing checkers and "talking story" while he learn to adjust and adapt to his physical challenges. Throughout the years, George has always been involved with our class...as our Hawaiian Advisor, it was George who reminded us to always be pono and that our class embodies the spirit of our Princess and all we do and say must reflect that! He freely gave his knowledge, his time, his heart and spirit to us. In recent years, he became my Hawaiian Studies Kumu. He taught me so much more than Hawaiian history and culture...he taught me by example what it is to fully LIVE with abandon PASSION, with divine PURPOSE, with steadfast CONVICTION and with unconditional LOVE.

I am saden...I miss my dear friend who guided and inspired so many :-(
I am humbled and grateful knowing how much George made a difference in my life :-)
I believe I am a better human being because of him :-)

E malama pono, Debbie

Reactions to the Passing of George Young

2008-09-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

"Auwe! What a loss! Incredible man. If you haven't already...watch the youtube video. Aloha Kanalu....you are the greatest Kamehameha warrior from the class of 1972. None of us can replace the void he leaves....but all of us must collectively do what we can. Watch the video." Bimo Akiona

"There is really no way to speak to this great loss except to say that with every breath he took, our brother George was a true Warrior. Terry & I had just returned to Honolulu from Maui last night and I will always believe that it was no coincidence running into Lois (who had just arrived from Kona) in baggage claim. We rushed to Queens along with Lois in time to tell George how much we loved him. My last words to George was to tell him that the next time I see him, he will be standing with open arms to greet me. a hui hou my dearest brother." Peter Gonsalves

"While it's so sad to say Aloha to George I do believe he is in a much better place. My condolences to his family, I always remember his mother bringing him to school in their van. Her devotion truly inspires me to be a good mother to my sons. The video is awesome and I will share it will all my Ohana. Let's all remember to leave this place better than we found it as George has! Aloha ke Akua to all of you!" Marie Quindica Cuomo

"Kanalu was a friend of mine who never failed to kokua whenever I called his office. We wrote several songs together, the latest songs are part of the collection from the Hokule‘a Legacy CD.I will mis my friend and offer my sincerest condolences to his ‘ohana." Kenneth Makuakane '75

"Mahalo on the update, there will be an empty spot in all our hearts that will be hard to fill. George, we love you!" Stephanie Naone-Sennish

"Thank you for keeping us well informed. I appreciate your efforts. This time it was very sad news for us. However, it appears George was very tired and wanted to rest. So I guess we should be happy for him. I too will miss him." Kevin Lima

"My heart is heavy for the passing of a dear, dear friend. The memorable times we spent together that began in high school, especially the music we shared at his home on Duval St. I have admired and loved this great man for the never ending dedication to better himself despite his physical hardships. My tears fall knowing that in this life I will never see him again, never talk to him again, never hug him again. He has been an icon to me and I will never, never forget him. I am Proud to call him my Brother." Aloha Nui Loa, Al Kaai

"ahhhh... george's passing brings to light how very fragile and short life is. george filled his 54 years with incredible accomplishments in spite of his circumstances, if anything, his circumstances strengthened his resolve. i regret not spending more time with george... not learning more from him. but i will always be grateful for his friendship and confidence in me. blessings and aloha to his 'ohana. please know how much george was loved and respected. a hui hou, george. mahalo nui!" - Joanne Makalena

"........Hearing, today, of George's departure from life saddens me deeply, butreflects on how he persevered through his life of medical challenges tobecome a Man among Men, a teacher amongst all teachers and a friend thatwill last through eternity. My heart and prayers goes out to the familyand to the class of "72", who I know are all grieving together. When weare done fulfilling the sorrows of our hearts, we should rejoice withsong and dance for all that George has done, celebrating his life thatwas just so "Unbelievable". I dance and sing for you George." - Ed Han

"It's so difficult to think of the world without George. He taught me so much about living a life that is pono, and I think he touched so many people. Although I didn't see him as often as I would have liked because I live on the mainland, I was able to see him on my last trip home and let him know how much he is loved. I think that my life was enriched from having known George." - Laureen Kim

Ke au'i nei kala...welo! welo!
Ke au'i nei kala...welo! welo!
Ke molehulehu mai nei...nakolo! nakolo!
Ke molehulehu mai nei...nakolo! nakolo!
Na po'o ana i lalo...he moku o Lehua!
Na po'o ana i lalo...he moku o Lehua!
Ma'awihilani...he moe, he moe!
Ma'awihilani...he moe! he moe!
Aloha e kukula o ka lani
Aloha e kukula o ka honua.
Au'e anu,anu o u mau iwi hilo nei.

A hui hou, Kanalu!

- Anonymous

George Terry Kanalu Young 1954-2008

2008-09-01T00:52:00.000-07:00

One of our most esteemed classmates, George "Kanalu" Young, passed away last night at Queens Hospital. He had been at Queens since early July, fighting muscle spasms and other complications that were related to his paralysis of 39 years. At the end, he made the decision to discontinue his feeding tube and asked to be disconnected from his respirator. He was surrounded by his family and long-time caretaker and classmate, Lois Wise when he died at approximately 9:00 p.m. Hawaii Time.

Despite his paralysis (caused by a diving accident in 1969), George lived a very full life, graduating from UH and and receiving his doctorate in Hawaiian Studies. He was head of the masters program in Hawaiian Studies and a long time professor at the University. He was an outspoken activist for Hawaiian causes and authored dozens of articles and books on different aspects of the Hawaiian culture. He wrote a short story about his accident and paralysis and had it published in the widely successful book, Chicken Soup from the Soul of Hawaii. In addition, George was a composer who wrote many songs and chants, including a chant for the University of Hawaii football program. In 2002, he was honored with the Frank Kernohan Award for perpetuating Hawaiian music, language and culture.

He was beloved by his students and respected by his colleagues.

"I've learned so much from George over the last 5 years. I can't even begin to explain what his loss means to me," said Debbie Lau Okamura, a classmate and Hawaiiana student.

To watch an amazing video of George produced by the Koani Foundation, go to this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCqrH0ihSqQ

Funeral arrangements are pending. George was survived by his father and mother and brother and sister and a huge extended o'hana.

Rain Showers fail to dampen the spirits of Relay for Life Walkers

2008-08-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

Still looking fresh at 6 a.m. in the morning, Debbie, Betty Lau, Peter, Benson and Sue get ready to make the final push at the closing ceremonies. Behind our classmates are Sue's workmate, Adele and Debbie's younger sister, Linda. Duane Chun snapped this picture.

A dedicated group of classmates showed up at all hours of the night through steady showers to walk and support the first Relay for Life held on the Kamehameha Schools campus on Saturday, August 23-24th. Classmates who showed up to walk included, John Leong, Sue Peterson, Debbie Lau Okamura, Bo Aki, Stacy Panui, Liane Sing, Karynne Morgan, Barbara Lau Orrell, Betty Lau, Venus Colon, Pauahi Akuna, Lew Biven, Rodney Kaulupali, Peter Gonsalves, Roland Harvest, Mike Kapuniai, Noelle Wedemeyer Kanoho, Butchie Lee, Bill Kama, Cheryl Ariola and Healani Waiau.

Special recognition goes out to Derrick Tsukayama (Logistics), Dan Kalili (Food), Kevin Lima (Security), Duane Chun (Finance), Albert Kaai (Entertainment), Pat Ahloy (Sound System) and of course, Sue Peterson and Debbie Lau Okamura, co-chairs of the event.

The combined five teams of the class of 1972 raised over $10,000, part of $127,000 that was raised by the entire Kamehameha Relay for Life. Classmates who made monetary contributions are Dave Osorio, Larry Nakea, Liane Ching Kelly, Jeannine Holi, Laureen Kim, Peter Gonsalves, David Copp, Rodney Bayne, Alex Naumu, Kuulei Bender Ho, Noelle Wedemeyer Kanoho, Sheridan Cockett, Mary Elizabeth Weatherwax Bacon, Jonia Leong Kamada, Joanne Takatsugi, Leonard Batungbacal, Verne Santos, Marie Quindica Cuomo, Tommy Thompson, Joanne Huber, Aukake Dapitan, Cherie Von Seggern Navarro, Lynne & Nahua Maunakea and Monica Yim Takashima.

Relay for Life Picture Gallery

2008-08-24T23:17:00.001-07:00

One of the most touching parts of the evening was the Luminara, where memorials to those who have been lost to cancer where placed around the entire football field.

Team Captain, John Leong walked over 10 miles, along with Roland Harvest and fellow HFD retiree, Peter Gonsalves.

The Medina's showed up in full force. My sister-in-law, Elizabeth Medina (a two-time cancer survivor), my brother Nixon, their grand-daughter Ariana, my mother, Katherine Medina (one of the oldest registered walkers at age 85) and myself.

Healani Waiau was on hand support her daughter's class (2004), who a small (4), but spirited bunch of walkers.

Mike Kapuniai joined us from Maui, Roland Harvest knocked out some serious miles on the track and Cheryl and Roland Ariola came to honor Roland's father, who passed away from cancer.

Barbara Lau Orell, Karynne Morgan, Stacy Panui and Liane Sing take a break before logging some miles at the Relay.

Co-chairman Debbie Lau Okamura pauses with cancer survivor and classmate Bo Aki and his wife a few minutes before the start of the Relay.

Classmates Play Huge Role Behind the Scenes

2008-08-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

The first Relay for Life on Kamehameha's campus was a rousing success thanks to the extra hard work of several classmates who worked tirelessly behind the scenes.

Back in the kitchen, Dan Kalili managed a dedicated crew that included Rodney Kimura and Eddy Kalahiki. Albert Kaai hung around most of the night to manage the sound system on the mainstage and even managed a few music sets with classmates Pat Ahloy and Issac Akuna.

Kevin Lima headed up the security detail that included classmates Dwight Rodrigues and Joe Doughty and brother, Keith Lima. In all, 10 HPD officers who were either parents or KS Alumni, donated their time, they were: David Kamai, Tasman McKee, Stan Lum, Walter Calistro, Malcolm Uehara, and Andy Brito.

Duane Chun managed over $127.000 of donations as well as keeping track of all the expenditures of the entire event.

Waipio wins Little League World Series Championship!

2008-08-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

Waipi'o Little League, led by the solid play of a huge cast of players (including Ed Han's nephews, Iolana Akau and Kainoa Fong), beat Mexico in the final, 12-3 to win the World Little League Championship. Ed spent over a week in Williamsport, PA with 10 other family members supporting and cheering on the team.

Ed Han in Williamsport, PA to cheer on Waipo Little League

2008-08-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Iolana Akau, one of two nephews of our classmate Ed Han (pictured above), comes off the field after being hit by a pitch in Waipio's 3-1 win over Shelton, CT at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. Ed's other nephew, Kainoa Fong is an outfielder and pitcher for the team who is currently (as of Monday, August 18th) undefeated in their pool thanks to a 10-2 win yesterday over Tampa, FL. The team is set to play the last team in their pool, South Dakota, later this afternoon.

Ed took time off of his job at Pearl Harbor to make the trip to Pennsylvania over the weekend. He joins 10 other members of his family who made the 5,000 mile trek from Hawai'i.

"We hope to make it all the way to the finals on 25th, but we're all here until the 26th regardless of the outcome," Eddie said via email.

Ed was hoping to be joined by classmate, Tommy Thompson, who lives in Binghamton, NY, two and a half hours north of Williamsport.

The big hole nobody sees

2008-08-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

Though this is the primary source of aggregate on Oahu, no doubt it will someday (long after we're dead and gone) become a landfill. Shot this yesterday, thought some of you might wanna have a look at Kapaa Quarry in Kailua.
- Peter

Col. Bruce Oliveira Deployed to Iraq

2008-07-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

Our classmate, Col. Bruce Oliveira (second from the left), is headed to Iraq for a 2nd deployment on August 19th with the 29th Brigade Combat Team. Their unit's first stop will be Fort Hood, Texas and then on to Kuwait. The 29th will be gone for a year. Bruce is married to Jeanne Miyamoto Oliveira'78 and is the proud father of '08 graduate, Cean Oliveira, who heads for Wake Forest this fall.

Another Cancer Victim

2008-07-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have seen the obituary of Wendy (Kalahiki) Cho KS'74 who passed away last week in Salem, Oregon. She was a 1978 graduate of Willamette University in Salem and was principal of Leslie Middle School in Salem. I believe she is the cousin of our classmate, Eddy Kalahiki. She had a beautiful service at Williamette University that was attended by Kamehameha graduates, Ron Perry '73, his sister, Melanie '78, Debbie (Cleaver) Lindsey '74, Michael Crabbe, '75 and Sue Lyman"78 (Marineau). Wendy battled breast cancer for 12 years, but died very suddenly after doctors found the cancer had returned and spread through her liver and lungs. Her service in Hawaii will take place at Bernice Pauahi Bishop Memorial Chapel on Sunday, July 20th.

Making the best of it somewhere in Iraq

2008-07-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

Our oldest son Na'i Noa (2nd from the left) with his P-3 Orion Squadron out of Kaneohe. It's 112 degrees, their future's so bright... they gotta wear shades. We just pray they all come home safe.

- Peter & Terry

Charly & Lisa Porter Kleissner Battle Big Sur Fires

2008-07-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

The Big Sur fire in Northern California is one of 1100 fires that have scorched 680 square miles and destroyed over 60 homes across northern and central California since June 20th. Our classmate, Lisa (Porter) Kleissner and her husband, Charly live on the northern end of Big Sur and have been helping the effort to battle the fire and save their property. Authorities ordered the evacuation of Big Sur yesterday. Over 25 miles of the scenic roadway have been closed blocking access to popular resorts, restaurant, shops and art galleries that attract tourists for all over the world.

"(We are doing) better that others. We have two families staying with us who lost everything. I helped evacuate yesterday and the fire was heading toward Highway One in the Big Sur Valley. So many homes have been lost. And here we all know each other so it feels so personal," said Lisa in an email this morning.

"The fire marshall called yesterday and asked if we could bulldoze a fire line on our mountain. This not a good sign. I've been busy with the relief effort that started two days ago. We've been overwhelmed with requests for help. ........ We are hunkered down and ready to fight the fire that is marching closer and closer to our property. I'll keep you posted."

The "mountain" Lisa is referring to is a 453 acre parcel of land they purchased in Big Sur with no plans to develop. They have several small structures on the property but their primary intention for the property is conservation.

National news sources reported today that it could be the end of the month before the California fires are brought under control.

If you see this crazy thing cruisin' the skies...

2008-06-26T00:25:00.000-07:00

it's just me having fun... takin' pictures. ahuuuugah! - Peter

Mahalo From Issac

2008-06-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

Howzit '72 !!gloria and i had great fun at this year's Hokus. I was in shock .Thanks for the nice comments.

a hui hou,
isaac

More Hoku Comments

2008-06-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

too good! too good! That's no kalei eggs.Being honored by your peers is a great accomplishment. Congratulations Albert & Isaac.Imua band boys! What Bimo said too. Congratulations to all the others we never get to hear about - Mark Gillette

Comments on the Hoku Awards

2008-06-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

Excellent guys, well done. BJ DeMello Tang

Wow! Lofty company. Nice job guys...and to all the others in our class who have achieved heights within their passions and professions. Bimo Akiona

Congratulations Isaac and Albert! Aukake Dapitan

Hoku Awards Honor '72 Classmates

2008-06-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

At the recent Na Hoku Awards, two of our classmates walked off with major awards for their accomplishments in Hawaiian Music. Dr. Issac Akuna won for Album of the year: "The Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame Presents — Na Lani 'Eha," Ku'uipo Kumukahi (Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame); Dr. Isaac Akuna, Karen Aiu, Ku'uipo Kumukahi and Steve Kramer, producers.

Albert Kaai won for Compilation album of the Year: "Aloha Slackkey — A Tribute to Gabby "Pops" Pahinui," various artists (Hula Records); Donald P. "Flip" McDiarmid III and Donald McDiarmid Jr., producers.

Special Offer from the Mehau's

2008-06-16T07:07:00.000-07:00

Aloha one and all from the Honu You 'Ohana (Cory, Jennifer, and 'Ilae)
This month's promotion just rings of the class of "72 because its a savings that is greater than our age.

Everyone can benefit from the relaxing and rejuvenating effects of a spa facial and some body work and for those who go the little extra distance in "caring " for their bodies a sassy brazilian waxing treatment is just the ticket to spice up the day to day. (Sorry bruddahs, but we don't have that particular service available for the kane.)

Anyway, the hook is that the treatments retail for $205.00 ,but, with the special it costs $150.00. A Gigantic and auspicious $55.00 savings.

We hope that by offering deals and savings on our services that we can help re-create the mind-set that caring for ourselves is an indulgence. We really believe its a right and sensible thing to do. We hope you agree.

Mahalo and Aloha

The Mehau's

Brandon Kanalu DeMello

2008-06-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

Picture of Kanalu DeMello 2008 graduate of KS-Kapalama. He is nephew of BJ Tang and son of Guy DeMello and Kelli Glushenko. Picture includes my mom, brother, sister, and nephew and his mom.

Maui Graduation for Marie's son

2008-06-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Marie Quindica-Cuomo at her son George's graduation from Maui High on May 31st. From the left: Marie, Grandma Rose Quindica, George & Chanelle, Rick (myhubby) and Greg.

If any classmates have pictures of their son or daughter graduating from "any where" (high school, college, cooking school, etc.) please send me the picture and the caption and I'll glad to post it. Mahalo, Benny

Rachel Patrick - Kamehameha Schools Maui '08

2008-06-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Rachel Hilinaÿi Chiemi Patrick KSM ‘08
Photo: Willie’s daughters - L-R Sarah Harbor High ‘01, Rachel KSM ‘08, and Hannah KSM ‘16

Aloha from the Maunakea's in Colorado

2008-06-03T11:09:00.001-07:00

Back row: Nahua and Lynn Maunakea; middle row,

Leo and Irene Ziemianski - Lynn's folks; seated on the ground,
Dave Heinrich, Malia Maunakea, (baby) Kiele Rae Maunakea

and Kanoe Maunakea

Comment from Dr. K

2008-06-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start posting up "comments" or responses to the items on the blog. When you make a comment to a particular post, no one can see it unless they click on the "comments" icon at the end of the post. This way, everyone can see it. If you choose to comment, if would be preferable if you would use your name, but not required. Here's a comment from "Dr. K."(who's identity is not known to me):

And regarding that "consciousness of peace,” it was in place here in 1898 then the US violated the neutrality of Hawaii as a sovereign nation-State thus by force of arms preempting a recognized member of the family of nations' choice to exercise "aloha" to all nations as its official foreign policy, something it had been doing since 1843. Not everyone knows that aloha was part of the early geopolitical scene among nations and that the Hawaiian Islands as a constitutional monarchy proudly maintained that position for 50 years by rule of domestic law for internal affairs and by treaty with dozens of other nation-States for external affairs. Someday, because of environmental sustainability issues and other changes in the world, we may be forced to be an independent political entity once more. Stranger things have happened. The Baltic States of Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia restored their independent governments in 1991 as a result of the end of the Soviet Union's control of Eastern Europe by force. Stranger things have happened.

A Consciousness of Peace

2008-05-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fitting to write a Memorial Day tribute to honor the men and women of our class that served so proudly for our country. We are fortunate to list no casualities among our classmates, unlike many classes in the late 60's and 70's that suffered losses in Vietnam.

Like the classmates you see in the picture above (Rodney Kimura, Dan Kalili, Bruce Oliveira and Butch Maunkea with Mike Chun) most retired without seeing any active combat duty. Others in our class to serve active duty are Randy Chang, Tim Bachran, Jonathan Spence, Jonah Hoapili, David Copp, Gerard Akaka, Albert Hee, Wally Zane, Dennis Kamae, Allison Melemai and Tommy Thompson. Each one deserves our praise and admiration for chosing to serve our country and protect the lifestyle and values we share as Americans. But as I get older, Memorial Day is more and more disturbing to me, not because we pause to honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, but because each Memorial Day adds thousands and thousands of human beings to the list of fatalities caused by war in every corner of the world.

Memorial Day was started in 1868 to honor the thousands who perished on BOTH SIDES of the Civil War. It was an act of peace, a move that would bring solidarity to a country divided and mourning. As we moved through the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Gulf War and Iraq, Memorial Day took a greater significance as more and more Americans were touched by the casualities of war. But what if we looked at the TOTAL loss of life on all sides of the conflict? In WWI, the US lost 126,000, the rest of the world lost 15,000,000. In WWII, the US lost 500,000, the rest of the world lost 55,000,000. We lost 35,000 in Korea, the rest of the world lost 2.8 million. We suffered 58,000 fatalities in Vietnam, while the rest of the world lost 3.5 million people.

I don't mean to minimize the loss of American lives, the point is to recognize that the human spieces has been exterminating itself all over the planet for thousands of years. In the last century alone, the advancement in our weapons and technology (along with the insanity of indivduals like Adolf Hitler) contributed to the deaths of over 100 million people worldwide.

So as we honor our fallen heroes on this 2008 Memorial Day, let's consider the loss of life that every war, revolution, conflict and social uprising creates for BOTH SIDES. It's the reason Memorial Day was established in the first place. I think its the beginning of the "consciousness of peace" that our planet needs to survive....wishing everyone a safe holiday, Benny

Kamehameha Relay for Life

2008-05-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

Aloha Kakou,

As Benson shared in his May 5th blog entry, we were overwhelmed to hear from so many class members whose lives and loved ones have been tragically impacted by cancer. Mahalo to all who shared such tender memories.

Kamehameha will remember and honor these loved ones during a very special event this summer – the alumni Relay for Life, which will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 23 – 24 from 7 p.m. – 7 a.m. at Kunuiakea Stadium.

Please join in as we support the Relay – celebrating family and friends who have survived cancer, remembering those who have succumbed to cancer, and fighting back to provide hope for a cancer-free future for our children and grandchildren.

There are several ways we can participate:

Join a team: All alumni classes are invited to field Relay teams of up to 15 members each. More than one team is encouraged, so if you are inspired, please feel free to create your own team with family, friends, and colleagues. Team members will “camp out” at the KS track and take turns running or walking during the 12-hour relay. Our class team, named Imua 72, will be led by John Leong. Mahalo, John! We need up to 15 people to join John and others on our Imua 72 team. Please visit http://www.rflkamehameha.org/ to sign up. There is a $10 registration fee per team member.

Make a donation: If running or walking isn’t for you or if you’re unable to participate, please consider supporting the Imua 72 team by making a donation. Donations may be made to teams or to specific members. Since Relay for Life is a fund-raising event for the American Cancer Society, proceeds will support cancer research and patient services right here in Hawaii.

Sponsor a virtual team: The perfect solution if you would like to make a gift on behalf of your company or business, or if you live on the Mainland! With a business donation of $1,500, you may sponsor a virtual team (with no walkers). You’ll choose your own team name, may add up to 15 virtual team members, and you’ll receive recognition/placement in the Relay program. Those who live on the Mainland may want to get together and combine personal donations to create a virtual team, as well. Please contact us if you’re interested.

Purchase luminaria: During the Relay, after dark, luminaria, which are candle-lit lanterns decorated with encouraging messages of love and hope, will be placed around the track to light the way. Donating a luminary is an excellent way to honor or remember a loved one with your own personal inspirational message. Luminaria may be purchased online for $5 each.

Volunteer to help: Kokua is needed in the following areas – set up/break down, donations (goods and services), food service during the event, security and parking assistance.

To join our Imua 72 team, create your own team, make a donation, or honor loved ones with luminaria, please visit Kamehameha’s Relay for Life website at www.RFLKamehameha.org.

To create a virtual team, volunteer to help, inquire about corporate donations, or get help navigating the RFL website, please contact us:

Debbie Lau Okamura
808-941-1860
bdokamura@hawaiiantel.net

Sue Peterson
808-544-9797
kila@hawaiiantel.net

Like so many of you, we have personally experienced the devastating effects of cancer. Unfortunately, statistics are such that many more in our ‘ohana will, too. We volunteered to co-chair Kamehameha’s Relay for Life because it allows us to fight back – providing a great opportunity to take action today, giving hope to those who may face cancer tomorrow.

Aloha ke Akua,

Debbie and Sue

Old Kekuhaupio

2008-05-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

Still standing, but on a different coed campus.

>Peter

Always carry a camera!

2008-05-16T00:17:00.000-07:00

I always carry a camera or at least I try to! I've always favored film over digital but now I have a digital camera and I love it! Back in March, I went home to Wai'anae for my mother's 80th birthday. The first morning there, my son & I were craving Starbuck's and Jamba Juice. Luckily, my son had spotted both on our way in. When got there and parked, I thought the wahine sitting outside of Jamba Juice looked just like Avery Choy. I wasn't going to ask but figured the worst that could happen was I'd hear 'no.' But as I approached her, she looked at me and I saw that glimmer of recognition so I asked, 'Avery Choy, is that you?' Sure enough, it was her! We haven't seen each other in ages but don't we look the same (or close) as back in 1972? I'm so glad I carry a camera, especially when we're away from home OR I'd never haven't gotten this great picture that by the way, was taken by my 6' 3" son, Greg! Avery is currently with HPD and recently transferred to patrol so she has a better schedule and can spend more time with her very bright and precocious daughter!
Aloha ke Akua all ~ Marie Quindica-Cuomo

Top 100 Tunes of 1972

2008-05-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

If you listen to music off the internet, try this site: www.tropicalglen.com You pick a year (from 1950-1984) and it will play the top 100 tunes from that year. You can also pick a genre, like "Motown." Sorry, no Hawaiian music (yet)....

A Mother's Day Legacy

2008-05-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

When my Dad died two years ago, my Mom went into a brief depression over losing her partner of 50+ years. The first holiday season without my Dad was tough on all of us and we could see the sadness in my mother's eyes. But shortly after the new year, something happened that brought back her verve, her strength, her drive and her enthusiasm. She remembered that she was a mother. She remembered that she gave birth to 8 children, who then had 27 grandchildren and then her 9 great-grandchildren. In the absence of my dad, she was now the grand "kupuna" of our family and she responsibilities. Admittedly, at 85 years old, my Mom has few responsibilities other than to get up and enjoy the day. She is well cared for by her children and grandchildren. But the reminder that she gives us each day is that the "world is driven by motherhood." There is no power stronger than a mother's natural instinct for the survival of her young.

As I watched my sisters (I have three) grow up from little girls, to teenagers, to young women, they absolutely transformed once they became mothers. Even in the classmates that I've stayed in contact with, motherhood changed them forever in ways that most men cannot understand. Even our classmates that didn't bear any children became the favorite "auntie" or a mentor to young girls and women. The maternal instinct of women has allowed mankind to survive, flourish and have an appreciation for history. I've experienced first hand that even when a woman has to face the fact that she is terminally ill, all of her energy, thoughts and saddness are all related not to her own death, but to the loss of motherhood and the disposition of her children.

It is this instinct that led Bernice Pauahi Bishop to the idea of establishing the Kamehameha Schools. Extremely concerned over the declining population of Hawaiians (down from 124,000 at the time of her birth to 44,000 when she wrote her will in 1882) she felt that education was the only avenue Hawaiians had to stem the tide of their eventual demise. This compelled her to engage her resources for the survival of the Hawaiians. Pauahi was about our age (52) when she passed away from cancer, but even without children of her own, her instinct as a mother allowed us to be where we are today. Happy Mother's Day to Pauahi and every woman in the class of 1972 ........Aloha, Benny

Aloha from Virginia

2008-05-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

Aloha from Fairfax, Virginia! What a great way to keep in touch with one another. Thank you, Benny, for doing this. I have a favor to ask. My boss and his family are going to Maui in July to celebrate his in-laws' 50th anniversary. They're trying to create t-shirts for this event and wanted to know how to say "Happy Anniversary" in Hawaiian. I didn't think there was a Hawaiian phrase for this, but please let me know if there is one.

John and I are doing fine, and have very special memories of visiting with our classmates & their spouses at the 35th class reunion. John so enjoyed the week's activities, and was especially moved by the chapel service on Sunday. Thank you for your kindness and aloha.

Talk to you soon.
Kaua (Bailey) Ruttencutter