Hawaii
HERE we go again. Today marks the first column for my fourth Star-Bulletin owner. And apart from the day I wrote Column No. 1 over 32 years ago, this foray into the newspaper wars promises to be as exciting as it gets. Think of it as Day One -- for all of us. While business phones are still being installed and new computer technology is being studied, my old email address remains in effect. Anyone wanting to reach me can do so at daved@lava.net ... Starting all over again
at a new Star-BulletinHOW would Hawaii audiences react to the "Gimme a 'C' " chant one of the narrators of "The Vagina Monologues" leads the audience into joining? That was my query last week, and Ann Brandman and others responded that the audience loved every minute of it. Ruth Shu, who teaches Asian American Lit in the UH English Department, led the chant at the UH's program to celebrate V-Day and International Women's Day to tumultuous applause. Talk about times a'changin' ...
Fit to be Freyed
CONGRATS to young Greg Frey, so often in the shadow of his more visible partner, Brad Coates, author of "Divorce With Dignity." Frey has been elected 2002 chairman-elect of the Family Law Section of the Hawaii State Bar Association. Paul Tomar is the immediate-past chairman and Frey will be following the current top man, Timothy Luria. I knew Greg's dad, Phil Frey, very well and he would have been so proud ...WHEN self-proclaimed "local boy," Ed Neer and Tom Anderson departed Hawaii years ago, they swore they'd be back. Neer, who was local manager for Northwest Airlines and who left in 1982, is now chairman and CEO of Worry-Free Vacations, a Northwest subsidiary. Anderson, who was president of Aloha Hawaii, is his director of sales. In freezing, snowy Minneapolis, it's not hard to think about Hawaii, so the two have decided to introduce twice weekly, regularly scheduled "worry free" vacations from Hawaii to Vegas, offering 32 hotels. They quickly sold out and are scheduling more -- a good excuse to visit Hawaii ...
Pluck of the Irish
NOT everything connected to St. Patrick's Day happens on Saturday. For instance, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick already had their Shamrock Ball last Saturday -- who could dance this Saturday night? The Irish Hearts will again do a Celtic concert at the Academy of Arts tomorrow night.And the "Spirit of the Dance" troupe opened its "Riverdance" type of show Tuesday night at the Hawaii Theatre and will be hammering the floorboards of the stage through March 20 ... And the Sweeney clan will be flying in from all over the country for their 24th annual Sweeney Party in connection with Paddy's Day. They usually hold it the night before the Big Day, but this year have earmarked March 15, figuring Murphy's, where the last 13 have been held, may start filling up a day early this year...
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