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Hawaii
BACHELORS, eat your hearts out. Waikiki is fairly Mrs. Hawaii
vies for crowncrawling with absolutely beautiful women this week, but alas, all are married. They're here to participate in the national Mrs. America contest. One married woman from each state is here for the 24th annual competition at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Sept. 1, and they'll be here for nearly two weeks, filming at various sites. The woman with the least distance to travel, of course, has the looks to go all the way and win the title. She's lovely Leslie Lam, a mother of two who's also an elementary school teacher -- yeah, we didn't have any that looked like that when I was growing up a lad in Keokuk, Iowa, either ...
AH, yes, Keokuk is again in the news, what with Democrats Al Gore and Joseph Leiberman beginning their campaign for the White House with a trek down the Mississippi River. Not only did the Mark Twain river boat stop in Keokuk (to traverse the locks) but Gore and Leiberman got off the boat there and delivered a talk to 2,000 people in Victory Park. It was the lead story in the Daily Gate City newspaper, of course, and Gore appeared on the NBC "Today" show from there with "Keokuk, Iowa" at the bottom of the frame. The running mates and their wives even spent the night in Keokuk, opting for the "opulence" of the Holiday Inn Express before reboarding the Mark Twain and concluding their trip in Hannibal, Mo., home of Twain author Samuel L. Clemens. Say, isn't that where Tom Sawyer whitewashed the fence? ...
ONE final Midwest note: John H. Williams of the East-West Center External Affairs office was visiting his home town, Rock Island, Ill., and munching on channel catfish from the Mississippi when suddenly the background music brought his mind back to Hawaii. It was Na Leo singing "What are you doing the rest of your life ... " ...
More on the Indy
KEEPING things focused sort of on the Midwest, the saga of the "USS Indianapolis" and the subsequent court martial and suicide of its commanding officer, Capt. CharlesButler McVay, was the subject of the cover story in Parade magazine Sunday. Parade is carried across the country in Sunday papers, but not in Honolulu. One interested person, referred to only tangentially in the article, is local promoter Kimo McVay, who's made it a life-long quest to clear his father's name. Just about everyone mentioned in the article, including all the surviving crewmen, want to do just that, but the Navy is reticent. Parade indicates it may happen yet ...
IT seems appropriate to mention that the Company Singers are devoting their next concerts Sept. 17-19 at Manoa Valley Theatre to the songs of Cole Porter. How does this fit in a column dealing largely with the Midwest? Because Porter was born in Peru, Ind., of all places, belying the unexcelled sophistication of his lyrics and music ...
Yee Gads!
WE may as well end on a final Midwest note. Cabaret performer Matt Yee is going to give folks in the Windy City a different view of Hawaii when he performs his "Love and Liberace Show" at the Halstead Gentry in Chicago Sept. 13-16. Yee is fresh from performing at the Gay Pride March in Washington, Pridefest America in Philly and at the San Francisco Gay Pride Festival. He describes his show as "Love, Pride and Fabulousness." Not to mention modesty ...
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: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com