Saturday, April 25, 2015

Punahou Relays 2015

I spent most of the day assisting with the officiating of the long and triple jump events at the Punahou Relays. The track season started in Feb 16th and has 3 weeks before it wraps up with the Hawaii State Finals on The Big Island.

The jump events involve "running the boards" (briefing the competitors, calling out the names, calling the fouls, measuring and recording the jumps), marking the jumps and raking to smooth out the pit.

Pictured below is Paul Nuha (Iolani Class  '56) who volunteered from week to week to mark the jumps. Also in the picture is his granddaughter, Kelly, one of the qualifying jumpers, from the Iolani Class of '16.



Being an  Iolani alumnus, I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a photo shoot with some of the Iolani coaches and qualifying jumpers. Pictured below are Rachel Dunn ('16), Chrislyn DeMattos ('15) and Kelly Watanabe ('16).  The  long and triple jump coaches are Grant Muroda (Iolani '81) and Maureen Dunn-Anzai who in 1988 was the Hawaii state champion and record holder  in the triple jump when she was a student at Our Redeemer Lutheran.


It has been a wonderful experience working with the army of volunteers such as the coaches, the people who set up and take down the tents, computers and finish line cameras, the officials, the people who organize the competitors before they go onto the track, the volunteers who assist at the finish line,  volunteers who set up and take down the hurdles, and  the volunteers who work the field events (horizontal jumps, high jump, pole vault, discuss and shot put).

Watching the running events has certainly brought back old memories when I was a miler in the late '50 struggling to keep from being the first runner lapped or struggling to keep from finishing last.
I can certainly identify with those runners bringing up the rear in their events.

I take pride in being the 2d fastest marathoner out of Iolani with a time of 2:47:01 in the Honolulu Marathon in 1979. The only problem was that I was 20 years too late. Well, what are you going to do?

My goal now is to try to shuffle 2 miles in 40  minutes,  five days a week .  The knees are rusty and the hips are stiff. After a 90 minute movie, I'm often the last one to leave the theatre....I wait until ever one has left so that no one will see me hobbling out of the theatre.

Our classmates who are fit, flexible and agile are not the guys who ran high milage or participated in old man  (over 35) soccer. Now, our fit and flexible classmates are the guys who participate in ball room dancing....Mike Uechi, Mike Chun and Elliott Chun readily come to mind. And of course there's Francis Wong, our super senior tennis player who has made it to a national  senior quarter finals as noted in an earlier post. You have to be fit and agile to do what he does.




Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Mike Uechi '61....Sounding off on Rail

In case you missed this mornings Star-Adveriser 3-31-15

http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20150331__CITIZENS_SOUND_OFF_AGAINST_RAIL.html?id=298106881

At the town hall meeting Monday, Aiea resident Mike Uechi expressed skepticism that a 2008 referendum vote reflected popular support for the rail project. “You say that we voted on this project … (but) the people didn’t have a chance to vote on the alternative,” he said when his turn at the microphone came.



Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Super Fit Seniors

Francis Wong ('61), Walter Fo ('64) and  Cary Ono ('63) brother of Miles Ono (61), are on the team Cataract & Vision Center of Hawaii that competed on March 2015 in the United States Tennis Association Nationals Tournament in Surprise, Arizona.

The team competed against teams whose players are 65 years old and over at the 7.0 (intermediate) level of skill. The team did quite well, placing second in its Division. Cataract and Vision Center represented the Hawaii Pacific Section.  Teams from 15 other Sections, such as Midwest, New England, California, and Southwest, also sent teams. One more individual match win and the team would have made the Final Four. The team is looking forward to next years competition.




Tuesday, March 10, 2015

The Archives


Hey Guys.....if you're able to visit the Iolani campus, be sure to check out  The Archives Room at The Sullivan Center  that was gifted to Iolani School By Ken Lee '61 and his wife Jennifer Lee. Ken and Jennifer  continue to step up and support Iolani School with their 
generous contributions.

Monday, December 29, 2014

Season's Greetings from your '61 Class Rep


Elaine Chun,  wife of Rodney Chun '61 , wrote that several members of the Class of 1961, 1960, 1962, 1993, and 1995 had a wonderful evening at the new Waialae-Kahala  home of Ken Lee ‘61 and Jennifer Lee on Christmas Eve, 2014.

Those attending from the class of 1961 were Russell and Lei Saito, Warren and Anita Ho, Tom and  Joyce Wong, David and Anita Tyau, Rodney and Elaine Chun,  Bob Mumper  and Becky Rosenberg,  Gary and Carolyn Shigemura, Dennis and Connie Goto, Jim and Susan Miyashiro, Norman Tyau and Francis Wong.

Also attending were  Warren Chung '60 and  his wife Kay Chung, and Alan Lee '60 and and his wife Gerianne Lee , Roland  Chun '62 and his wife Janis Chun , Chrysti Chun Lu '93 and her husband Chieh Fu Lu and  Dr. Brent Tamamoto ’95 and his wife Sheri Chun Tamamoto '95. 

There were over 80 guests in attendance  Elaine writes that celebrating with friends is  one of the most enjoyable and wholesome feelings  that one  can experience and hopefully that feeling was expressed in the attached photo. 






Members of the Iolani Class of 1961, Christmas Eve 2014

Front row: Russell Saito, Ken Lee, Warren Ho, Tom Wong
Back row: David Tyau, Rodney Chun, Bob Mumper, Gary Shigemura

Picture by Elaine Chun 




Tuesday, December 9, 2014

DHT's White Christmas 2014

Several members of the Iolani Class of '61 and their wives attended  Diamond Head Theatre's production of "White Christmas" on December 7, 2014. Our super talented Emmett Yoshioka served as musical director assisted by his wife Judy Yoshioka.  Milton and Maddie Oshiro stepped up again to do the hard work needed in planning   for an "Iolani presence" this year.

Classmates and wives who attended were Mike and Lorrie Chun,  Rodney and Elaine Chun,  Andre Dulce and Allison Garr,  Warren and Anita Ho,  Ken and Jennifer Lee,   Jim and Sue Miyashiro,  Ken and Lynn Nakasone,  Steve and Kathy Takaki,  Dick and Cassy Tsuda, Cliff Uejio,  Thomas and Joyce Wong, and  Milt and Maddie Oshiro

Those in attendance had the opportunity of  bid Cliff Uejio  "aloha and best wishes" since he will be re-locating to
California in February 2015. 
Classmates and their wives joined hosts Milt and Maddie for dinner at  Happy Days Restaurant in Kaimuki following the show. 










Lincoln Tokumoto also attended a performance of "White Christmas" but I'm not sure if it was on the same day as the above because he's not in the pictures shown above. Nevertheless, here's another  great picture taken at intermission.













Friday, November 14, 2014

Mumper Here!

Another year coming to a close. I made my annual trek to the East Coast.....MASS,  NY and VA to visit family members. I like to visit in the fall because that's my favorite time of year....the leaves start to turn and the temps hang in the 60's.

I had the opportunity to visit to  Bethehem, Pennsylvania to run a 5K at the Runner's World Festival featuring a Half Marathon, a 10 K and a 5 K. I did the 5K in 50:28 placing 6 out of 6 in the 70-74 men's age group. There were 3 guys participating in the 75 plus age group....it's a good thing for me that they broke down the 70's group into two groups or I would have placed 9 out of 9. But what the heck...I made the top 10 anyway you look at it.

I caught up with my main competitor, Kate, at the 34th minute. . I passed her and stayed ahead until she passed me later. We changed positions  about 5 times until the last half mile in which I made my final kick pulling  ahead of her and  maintaining the lead to the finish.  At the end of the race she introduced herself to me and asked to have her picture taken with me because she said that I inspired her to finish the race. The truth is, she inspired me to pick up my regular 20 minute per mile pace which would have given me a finishing time of an hour.

I visited my  #2 son who is a  graduate student at Stony Brook University on Long Island. We took the train to NYC where we walked the High Line (a park which ran along an elevated abandoned train track),   visited Ground Zero at the World Trade Center, had lunch in Greenwich Village, and  cruised Times Square. Times Square is a happening place. The highlight of my trip was meeting the Freedom Ladies pictured below. This was the first time that I had been to NYC since 1980. Lots of changes. Put it on your bucket list if you haven't been there in a while or if you've never visited.