Scorpio Four
throw a bashIN the 1950s, Mike Kelly of Roosevelt, Alvin Kaohu of Kaimuki, Larry Larinaga of Farrington and Danny Mahiko of St. Louis, all '57 grads, played football against each other. They became friends and also became known as the Scorpio Four. They threw their 60th birthday luau Sunday at Keehi Lagoon DAV Hall. More than 600 people showed up. Entertainment included Myra English, Iva Kinimaka, Gary Aiko, Pat Silva, Jimmy Kaina, Cookie Among, David Kaowili, Ed Kini, Ron Miyashiro, Imaikalani Young, Tony Bee, Haumea Warrington, David Pierce and Terry Bright and FM. Emcee James Grant Benton kept the crowd laughing. Kelly's pal, Tony Purcell, a fire knife dancer in Nalani Kele's show at the Stardust years ago, flew in from Las Vegas for the party ...
Stop the bleeding
IT'S time for Cal Lee to become head football coach at UH. What's going on at Manoa now is an embarrassment. I hate to see a coach lose his job, but we can't endure this pain and suffering. Some of my friends have even given away season tickets. The UH athletic brass should remove Fred vonAppen at the end of this season and hire Lee immediately. Lee has done great things with the St. Louis football team. And, most importantly, he will be able to recruit many of our best island players. There's no need for posturing, soul searching and all that jazz. Just get Lee up there fast and stop the bleeding ...ABOUT $40,000 was raised for the Academy of Arts by the French Festival gala at the Hilton last Saturday. "I'm thrilled overall," said Chanel's Joyce Okano Reed, without whom the annual festival may have never gotten off the ground. "The international and national media attention the gala and festival received reminds the world that Honolulu is an exciting and culturally rich city," Joyce said. "We need to be aggressive to maintain our status as a top tourist destination." Joyce praised the work of fest producer Dean Christopher and Katie Doyle of Sheila Donnelly's PR firm ...
TWO-TIME Grammy winner Diane Schuur headlines Honolulu Symphony pops concerts Friday and Nov. 28, singing songs made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. Gabe Baltazar on sax and conductor Matt Catingub, who plays jazzy piano and sax, will help Schuur keep things jumping ... Harry Hanchett won the annual Hui O Hackers golf tourney at the Links at Kuilima recently and was promptly rewarded with the club presidency, a position few Hackers desire ...
JIM NABORS and a cast of about 200 will spread holiday cheer with "A Merry Christmas With Friends and Nabors" at the Hawaii Theatre Dec. 4-6. Nabors' holiday special last year was a smash, and he will again be supported this year by Emma Veary, Karen Keawehawaii, the Honolulu Symphony and more than 100 others, including scores of youngsters, singing and dancing. Nabors puts on an extraordinary holiday show ...
Careful, Emme, careful
LAST year, during "Emme's Island Moments" holiday special, Emme Tomimbang fell off the the darkened stage into a big Christmas tree. Emme said she visited Walter Dods' home days after the show and the First Hawaiian Bank boss said, "Stay away from my Christmas tree." This year's special is Nov. 29 in the Hilton Coral Ballroom. It benefits the Hawaii Youth Symphony, which will perform. Guests include Genoa Keawe, Keali'i Reichel, Na Leo Pilimehana, Amy Gilliom, Willie K and Hapa. Call 941-9706 ...
Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets
of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of
people, places and things every Saturday.
His columns appear online every Monday.