CYNTHIA Child, who was often called on stage by Don Ho to sing during his years with the Aliis, is starting a golf tour business. This could give both our tourist and golf industries a shot in the arm. Cynthia grew up in the isle visitor industry. Her late dad, Walter D. Child Sr., was the dean of many early isle hotel men. He owned the Blaisdell Hotel on Fort Street in the 1930s and later formed Surf Resorts, with properties on Kauai, Maui and the Big Isle. Her brother, Dudley Child, retired as Inter-Island Resorts' president in 1985 ...CYNTHIA WAS married to Alii Manny Lagod. They have two daughters, Stephanie and Trina, who was a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Raiders in the early '90s. Cynthia will bring golfers to Hawaii through her company with the clever title, Travel to a Tee. Later, she will take isle golfers to Mainland destinations. Cynthia, a versatile athlete and horsewoman in earlier years, is a golfer and claims to have a 21 handicap. But being a fierce competitor, she can be a tiger on the course - for all "19" holes ...
DON HO'S 66th birthday was Tuesday and he worked harder than usual, putting on a three-hour show at the Waikiki Beachcomber. Don's mom, Honey, sang "Time After Time," a favorite of her late husband, James Ho. Don's daughter, Hoku, and Kalani Kinimaka sang. Keiki hula sisters Heather and Whitney Anderson and Piilani and Pomaikai Kline danced ...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Nora Auna Kaaua, who turned 80 Thursday. In the 1930s, Nora danced hula for the Harry Owens and Malcolm Belby orchestras at the Royal Hawaiian. She was an original Kodak Hula Show dancer and also danced with the Royal Hawaiian Girls Glee Club. She and Tootsie Notley performed in USO shows during World War II with Leolani Blaisdell. Nora has been married to rancher-sportsman Sam Kaaua for 47 years. Sam molded her into a hot 6-handicap golfer in earlier years. Nora golfed in a mini-tourney the Waialae Gals held for her Thursday, followed by an outstanding lunch at Hee Hing. There was no naughty hula but there were naughty, naughty gifts ...
MATT Swalinkavich was Sonny Chillingworth's last student and protege. Matt, 18, learned his lessons well from the late, great slack key guitarist-singer. I caught Matt at the Pier Stage at Aloha Tower, where he, bassist Rick Emshar and guitarist Thompson Enos perform each Thursday night. Matt brought back memories of Sonny. That is big praise. Swalinkavich will take part in Bankoh's Slack Key Festival, featuring some of the state's best slack key artists, at Ala Moana's McCoy Pavilion tomorrow, 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. ... CALIFORNIA-BORN Patrick Landeza, whose mom, the former Frances O'Sullivan, grew up with Chillingworth on Molokai, is here to take part in the festival. Landeza recently returned from a six-city tour of the Philippines, where he also conducted workshops xxx Swalinkavich, Keali'i Reichel, Steve Brown, Jon Osorio and Randy Bordon will perform in an Angel Network Charities concert next Saturday at the Hawaii Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Randy, battling cancer, will reunite with former duo partner Jon ...
ital Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of people, places and things every Saturday.
