Chang finishes
Paris MarathonIT was rainy and icy cold when localite Melissa Chang lined up to run Le Marathon in Paris on Sunday. Despite that, she reports, "From my perspective it really wasn't all that bad." She attributes this to the fact that of the 22,000 entrants, some 20,000 of them were men! She thought about dropping out when she hit the wall at about 18 miles, Chang says, but an Irish runner encouraged her: "This is not a run for time. This is Paris! You're supposed to enjoy the city." She persevered, even passing through the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed -- the pillar of impact marked with a huge wreath -- and she finished "in a slow but respectable 4:47." Chang relays this info via the Cybercafe Latino, where she checks in daily to read the Star-Bulletin. Normally closed on Sundays, the owner opened the place in her honor on race day so she and others could e-mail messages home. He opened, he said, "to promote fraternite." In that case, Vive la France ...
FOR those not of the opinion that UH deans and coaches are all wet, you should have been at Campus Center Courtyard Monday when a dunking booth gave Hawaii Foodbank contributors the opportunity to douse such deans as Charlie Araki, Dave Bess, Dick Dubanoski, Alan Yang and assorted others, including men's volleyball coach Mike Wilton and assistant basketball coach Bob Nash ...
This Pyle no Gomer
THE Discovery Channel last week showed "Mysteries of the Twilight Zone," which featured Richard Pyle and John Earle collecting deep reef specimens in waters up to 500 feet deep in Palau. Not since Darwin have so many new species been identified in such an unexplored environment. Pyle is a UH graduate student in zoology and works at Bishop Museum. He formerly was employed by the Waikiki Aquarium. Watch local TV listings for a repeat airing ...THAT Don Ho story ("I Hate 'Tiny Bubbles' ") will be in next week's National Enquirer, at supermarket checkout counters Monday. The article contains a photo of him with his talented teen-aged daughter Hoku as she "shares a moment with her dad and his famous ukulele." This brought a smile to the lips of Kimo McVay, who employed Ho for many years at Duke Kahanamoku's. "I've never seen him pick one up in the 35 years I've known him," said Kimo. Ho plays the organ. "Better let that one alone," shrugged McVay ...
IT'S a fact that Ho hated "Tiny Bubbles" for real, but his record producer, Sonny Burke, desperately wanted him to record it, smelling a hit. Don wanted to do a version of "Born Free," so Burke flew out, booked time at Donn Tyler's Commercial Recording Studio, and made sure the "Born Free" tune was in the can with an hour of paid time still on the clock. Burke talked Don into doing "Tiny Bubbles," so as not to waste the hour. He did a take, liked it OK; so he did one more. To this date, that recording in 1965 is Don's one big hit ...
Down Memory Lane
KHON-TV morning anchor Leslie Wilcox is a second generation broadcaster. She was a newspaper reporter before turning to broadcasting, but her dad, Paul Wilcox, has reversed the process. He says he was the first disc jockey in Hawaii in 1942 and now shares his radio memories both local and national in a column he writes for Hawaii Senior Lifestyles, which identifies him as "Retired Broadcaster, Luncheon Speaker & Senior Companion." For those who'd like to book Wilcox to speak, free of charge, call 941-3178. ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
His columns run Monday through Friday.Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.