Stars out for
Weyand’s 81stTHERE were more stars out at the Fort Myers Officers Club in Arlington, Va., earlier this month than there were at the Emmy ceremonies. Most were on the shoulders of the people helping Ret. Gen. Fred Weyand celebrate his 81st birthday. Learning he'd be attending the Four Star Conference in Washington, Weyand's daughter, Nancy Weyand Hart, enlisted the aid of her brother and sister and together they put together a whale of a surprise for their dad. Among those attending the party were former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger, Secretary of the Army Marty Hoffman and retired Gen. and Ambassador Vernon Walters. Nancy asked Walters if he preferred "general" or "ambassador." He replied, sensibly, "It took me 30 years to be a general and only a day to become ambassador. Call me 'General.' " ...
GEN. Weyand, who still works daily for Damon Estate but gets in his share of golf -- he recently shot a 75! -- was totally surprised by the party, thinking only that he was going to another conference function. He was especially surprised when daughter Nancy masqueraded in camouflage and battle makeup. Among those who sat with Gen. Weyand at the conference dinner, but couldn't make the surprise party, were retired Gens. William Westmoreland and Colin Powell. Gen. Weyand's actual birthday was yesterday, the same day as his best friend's, the late Gen. Creighton Abrams. The Abrams family was brought into the celebration, dubbed "Birthday of the Titans." ...
THE big winner of $2,500 in the South Pacific Chili Cookoff Sunday was Peter Hamilton and his crew from Hamilton's Beach Cafe in Kihei. This brought chuckles from Chef George Mavrothalassitis, since he and wife Donna Jung live in nearby Wailea. There was no hometown "juice" involved, however, since the tasting was a blind one. Peter's chili team entry was entitled, "Eat Here, Get Gas." ... Jung and fuelish
THIS was the first year teams were permitted to use beans in the recipes, as mentioned here earlier, but one team went out of its way to comply. Starbucks Coffee partner-turned-chef Natalie Aczon, who owns Cafe Aczione, utilized El Grande Beans of Starbucks Coffee in her "Fiery Inferno" chili. Wonder if eating that chili keeps you awake?
MANY buttoned down investment types were surprised to see multibillionaire Warren Buffett appearing in ads for FlightSafety International, but there was a good reason for it, complete with local angle. Former Hawaiian Airlines exec Roger Ritchie now works for FlightSafety; he and a photographer conspired with Berkshire Hathaway chairman Buffett to do a photo shoot in 15 minutes on an Omaha runway. Buffett, who recently bought the FlightSafety company, came up with the idea of showing himself on a private jet (captained by a FlightSafety trained pilot?) while dining on a Big Mac and Coke. Not surprisingly, he has invested heavily in McDonald's and Coca-Cola. That explanation also answers the sometime question, "What ever happened to Sir Roger Ritchie?" as the English airline exec was known in Hawaii ...
EACH morning at Damien Memorial High School a "thought for the day" is read along with announcements in homerooms. Bette Rodrigues edits the "thoughts" and the timing seemed appropriate last week for a quotation by Prince Charles culled from a 1979 book of "daily thoughts." In it he defines the automobile as, "the most destructive plaything man has ever known." ... Sober thought
Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.