Hawaii
YOU don't think of public relations as one of the more dangerous occupations in the country, but it's not all fun and games either. I mentioned last week that Sheila Donnelly Theroux of Sheila Donnelly and Associates had been booked on American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to L.A. -- the first plane to crash into the World Trade Center -- but rebooked the night before to stay on at Cape Cod. Now we have David Sayre of PR Works who left Bermuda early to avoid an oncoming hurricane, putting him squarely in Manhattan when the terror began. Not quite fully aware right away of the enormity of the disaster, he showed up at 30 Rockefeller Plaza for a meeting only to find all bets were off. Suddenly it hit him, reports Sayre, and he said to himself, "What am I doing here?" He made his way to his hotel at Central Park, walking because the subways weren't working. Sayre finally got home Sunday, and is spending some "quality time" with his wife, singer Loretta Ables, before returning to work. And who can blame him? ... PR can be perilous,
traveling localites findCELEBRATIONS of any kind are tempered by events in New York and at the Pentagon. My Wednesday birthday was a somber affair. Mexican eateries that had been gearing up for Mexican Independence Day had little to celebrate. Jennifer, Matthew & Gayook Wong had set aside tomorrow at Kapiolani Bandstand to mark JMG's swing dance company's first anniversary. The Wongs, who hail from New York, decided to hold the anniversary anyway. They donated and matched all proceeds for the evening to the New York Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Fund ...
Big Mama
TWO Sundays ago a huge pregnant tummy graced the cover of "Mauka-Makai," the Star-Bulletin's feature section, in a story on maternity spa treatments. Angela Laprete, who'd worked on "Baywatch Hawaii," was busy working on a trailer of upcoming features for the Hawaii International Film Festival, but was talked into taking time out to pose for the cover and some large photos inside. Angela slimmed down now that she's welcomed Aidan James Laprete-Powell into the world. She was reticent when she saw the pregnancy photos and asked boyfriend Chico Powell what he thought. "You look beautiful," he replied, "and we can tell Aidan that he made the news before he was even born!" ...
Aloha Simon
I THOUGHT I'd written my last about the death of longtime friend Simon Cardew in London. The former head of public relations of Sheraton in Hawaii was forced to retire after developing PSP, a rare, debilitating disease. Though he became a proud American citizen while living in Hawaii, his illness forced him back to London where he was cared for by the National Health Service and his loyal British wife, Joan, who stood by him for 17 years. Now a CD from Joan has arrived, containing Simon's funeral service. Recognizing his love of America, Joan held the ceremony on July 4, "A Service of Thanksgiving," and decreed that the primary music be "America the Beautiful," "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and finally, "The Star Spangled Banner." Simon surely would have approved ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
The Week That Was recalls items from Dave's 30 years of columns.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com