Hara’s impact
seen everywhereWITH the death of pioneering architect Val Ossipoff, a case could be made for John Hara as being Hawaii's most prominent architect. His works include the Kinau Street wing of the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the new Science Center at Punahou as well as the Wo Center, athletic offices, gym, cafeteria, track and pool. He also did the pool at Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Kamuela, the Architecture Building and Burns Hall at the East West Center, the gym at St. Andrew's Priory, and perhaps most impressive, the Maui Arts and Cultural Center ...
HARA was recently presented with a book listing him as the 1998 recipient of the University of Pennsylvania Club of Hawaii's Benjamin Franklin Distinguished Alumni Award. Past recipients include Dave Heenan, Eddie & Peggy Eu, Fritz Herman, Ken & Lorraine Mortimer, Mark Buchman, Paul Loo and J. Russell Cades. When Hara was presented with the Bowl at an earlier Waialae Country Club luncheon, he complained it was too large to carry, and felt it would hurt his golf swing to do so. Several students helped him carry it to his car. The book wasn't so large, and he managed to carry it without assistance ...
She who laughs last
WRITER Lois-Ann Yamanaka recently had the prize she'd won from an Asian-American group withdrawn because of perceived racial slights in "Blu's Hanging." While I'm sure that was disappointing to her, since she is a far cry from a racist and was merely writing about one perverse character and not a racial group as a whole, she has to be overjoyed about her latest award. Yamanaka, (who also wrote "Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers") is the winner of $75,000 in the Lannan Literary Awards fiction category. Her newest literary effort, "Heads by Harry," will be released next year ...WHEN Don Robbs introduces "The Three Tenors" on Hawaii Public Television Friday, he'll be joined by Henry Akina of the Hawaii Opera Theatre and Yun Deng, the Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano who's giving a benefit concert Oct. 11 at Hawaii Theatre. Deng will also be at the opening of "Cats" tonight at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. She has good reason -- she has two cats, has seen "Cats" twice and played a cat at the Met ... Which brings us to dogs: Barry Silverman's Dixie Grill is sponsoring the "Pooch Party Picnic" Sunday at the Ward Avenue restaurant as a fund-raiser for the Hawaiian Humane Society, where Silverman got his two dogs. For $20 you get a human lunch and a Dixie Doggie Dessert, so bring your pooch ...
IN what seems like a perfect match, David Paul Johnson of David Paul's Diamond Head Grill has entered into a business alliance with Philip Richardson of Current Affairs, the special events and catering company. David Paul's is now preparing the food for all Current Affair events, and Richardson is closing his Kakaako kitchen ...
Hold the phone
IF Ron Martin of Success Dynamics has a red face, here's why. Pam Chambers, co-author of "Public Speaking Made Easy" with Martin, introduced him to a meeting of the Sales & Marketing Executives at the Kahala Mandarin. As he was making an important point to his audience, Martin's cell phone rang loudly from his pocket. Chambers shot him "the look." Martin apologized to the crowd, explaining that one of Chambers public speaking "commandments" is to turn off your cellular phone or pager before speaking. It's in their book. He'll not soon make that mistake again ...
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.