By Dave Donnelly
Friday, November 22, 1996
Neil Abercrombie, Ben Cayetano
Neil Abercrombie, Ben Cayetano
IF you like heartwarming stories, you've come to the right place. Benedict Goo, St. Louis Class of '27, was a big supporter of the school and an avid booster and fan of the Crusaders football team. He put four sons through St. Louis, Thomas (Class of '49), Eugene (Class of '52), and Allen and Alfred (Class of '65). Prior to a recent illness Benedict Goo never missed attending Crusader games, although for the past few months his only link to the team's progress were the radio reports and newspaper articles his kids read to him. On Nov. 2, as he lay near death and having received the last sacraments of the church, he was still able to ask about the St. Louis vs. Kamehameha football game. Four days later, three members of the Crusaders football team, Jason Gesser, Craig Stutzman and Dominic Raiola, visited with Goo and presented him with an autographed game ball. In his final hours, a smile of happiness came to his face and he asked one more favor. Could he hear the school alma mater? The three young men raised their voices in song and Goo mouthed the words along with them. There wasn't a dry eye anywhere to be found. Eugene Goo wrote a letter of appreciation to St. Louis president Father John Russi which stated, "The St. Louis tradition of building minds as well as character continues to live on at Kalaepohaku." You can say that again ... Character is alive
at KalaepohakuTHE Washington Post has reviewed "Blood of Patriots," which has nothing to do with New England's suddenly threadbare football team. It's the new book written by Rep. Neil Abercrombie (described by the Post as "one of the House's last remaining liberal long-hairs") and former isle reporter Richard Hoyt. The Post suggests the book might be a terrific read for those fed up with a long political campaign and not just because it involves two people disguised as Capitol Hill staff members who walk into the House chambers during a vote, where they proceed to "draw Uzi submachine guns and murder 125 members of Congress." Only 125? ...
THERE'S a firm called TrueVision Laser Center of Honolulu which just opened offices in the Ala Moana Building. Its purpose is to fix people's eyes to correct nearsightedness using the latest FDA-approved laser procedure and give them the most perfect vision possible. What this is all leading up to is that marketing director Barbara Wong swears, on a stack of "E" charts, that the office assigned to the firm, unbeknown to company members, was Suite 2020. Says Wong, "Seems like a pretty good sign that the Hawaiian gods are smiling down on us." ... Visionaries
AT his birthday party at Washington Place, Gov. Ben Cayetano sang "All the Way," prompting some wags to wonder if he has his eye on higher office. The party was a fund-raiser for the Farrington High auditorium, and several of the well-connected Governor's 1958 classmates showed up to help out. And when the band struck up the Farrington "Touchdown Song," former songleaders and cheerleaders got up to perform as in days of, well, old! Namely, Cha Thompson of Tihati Productions, Councilwoman Donna Mercado Kim and TV producer/hostess Emme Tomimbang ...
WITH 25,000 Pacific Fleet personnel eligible, two Barbers Point men were selected by the Navy League as the "best of the best" this year. Say congrats to top enlisted man, Aviation Machinists Mate Xavier Cotton, USN, and top officer, Lt. Jess McGinnis, USCG ...
MAUI surfing instructor Nancy Emerson is back from Fiji where she taught surf clinics and also attended national horse races in Nandi. She returned to produce a TV commercial with British Open winner Tom Lehman, top money winner on the PGA tour, with director Gary Jensen of Pidgin Productions. Lehman autographed a photo for her and wrote, "Hope you catch the big one." I think he was referring to waves. This weekend Emerson is off to L.A. for the 25th annual AIDS benefit ball with Elton John ... Surf and Turf
