These ‘babes’ are
agelessMY favorite nonagenarian, Babe Woollett, was the subject of a story in Canadian Flyer magazine, the employee newsletter of Canadian Airlines. I don't know what, if anything, you were doing in 1971, but Babe had reached the compulsory retirement age that year. Not about to airily dismiss the Englishman who became a fighter pilot for the RAF in 1924 and became a Canadian Airways pilot in 1932, Canadian invited Babe to become Director of Community Affairs in the islands, and he remained in that position until his 70th birthday in 1976. He still is considered as unofficially representing the airline wherever he goes today at the age of 92. Though now under hospice care, Babe is still a fabled figure up and down the Gold Coast of Waikiki where he resides ...
AND while we're on the subject of aging, 71-year-old Hawaii Kai resident Bob Voege has become one of only five senior citizens to win national honors as an "Ageless Hero" -- someone who exemplifies healthy aging. At a special ceremony in Chicago hosted by Blue Cross and Blue Shield, former president George Bush, himself no youngster, presented Voege with an award for "vitality" and winning out over 1,500 nominations. Not bad for a retired FBI agent who has suffered two heart attacks, and had triple by-pass surgery, but still competes in swimming and track and field competitions. Last year, for example, Voege won 10 medals at the Aloha State Games and plans to defend those titles next month. His doctor had suggested he take up gardening following his triple by-pass, but Voege opted to participate in decathlons instead. Together with Babe Woollett, there are two of Hawaii's top ageless heroes ...
Covering all bases
FORMER GOP chairman Jared Jossem has departed the Honolulu office of the national law firm, Verner Liipfert Bernhard McPherson Hand to open his own firm. He got along well with some pretty strange political bedfellows in the firm, including former governor John Waihee, a Democrat. But Jossem quips that since Bob Dole joined the firm's Washington office, they have "enough Republicans." Lynn Toyofuku and Jennifer Clark are joining him in the firm called Jossem Toyofuku and Clark. That covers a lot of cultural bases, but when I suggested he might add "Cayetano" to the firm name, his eyes lit up. Then I realized it was because it would mean the governor was no longer in public office, something that would suit the GOP faithful just fine ...
No Charge At All
THE acronym for the above, of course, is NCAA. And if you were a member of the UH wahine softball team and wanted to watch the NCAA selections via satellite, where better to go but to Murphy's Bar & Grill? And that's where they were yesterday afternoon when the announcement came on the screen that they'd been seeded second in the West and would be facing Pacific. The winner will most likely face the defending champions from last year, Arizona, which is seeded No. 1 in the West ... Owner Don Murphy, who treated the wahine and their families to lunch while they watched the selections, is having another fund-raiser Wednesday evening as part of the national Coaches vs. Cancer campaign where Riley Wallace and Vince Goo will attempt to do even better in raising cash for the fund started by the late Jimmy Valvano. On hand will be some UH players and the Fabulous Five. Announcer Jim Leahey, fighting his own battle against cancer, has been invited and if he feels up to it and attends, it should be a great inspiration ...
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.