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Wood Craft
Ben Wood
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GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Ex-Aloha Airlines employees Lea Scow, left, and Regina Shimomura met at the Aloha for Aloha Air block party Friday. Ben Wood reports on the event.
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$100,000 collected at Aloha Air block party
Hundreds of people jammed Murphy's Corner Friday night for a block party to raise funds for Aloha Airlines employees with serious medical problems who were left without medical benefits when the airline shut down without warning. Pilot, flight attendant and machinist unions came up with the block party plan and restaurateur
Don Murphy was asked to organize it. Approximately $50,000 was raised and that was matched by the
Hung Wo and
Elizabeth Lau Ching Foundation. Mayor
Mufi Hannemann stood tall among the crowd Friday. He said the city is hiring some of the Aloha people.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Former Aloha Airlines employees, their families and supporters gathered Friday night outside Murphy's Bar & Grill for a block party to raise funds for ex-employees in need of medical care.
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New UH head football coach
Greg McMackin, a friendly, personable guy, was inside the restaurant with his wife,
Heather, and
Marion Murphy, Don's wife. Greg praised Don for organizing the fundraiser. Don also is a strong supporter of the UH athletic program. The coach says he has been to a lot of places and nobody does these kind of things that Don Murphy does for people. I congratulated Greg for landing the coaching job and told him that I have been watching and following UH football for more than 65 years, as my dad used to take me to games at old Honolulu Stadium before World War II. The coach looked astonished and replied, "You don't look 65," He's my friend for life ...
Among others praising Murph was attorney Sherman Hee, who was with a group that scored a large table in the packed eatery. With Sherm were his wife, Stephanie, Sonny and Barbara Ching, Cedric and Francine Chun, and Malcolm and Lisa Chang. Also supporting the fundraiser were Keith Kraughto of the Trust for Public Land, Chaminade communications chief Kapono Ryan, publicist Mona Wood (my calabash niece) and Emi Espinda of Ruth's Chris ...
onward: Joey Caldarone plays Conrad Birdie in Army Community Theatre's "Bye Bye Birdie," the story of an Elvis Presley-like rocker who gets drafted. Joey is right for the part as he has insight into Elvis' Army days. His uncle, the late Tom Rocco, was in Elvis' unit and used to regale the family with Elvis stories. "Birdie" opens tomorrow night and runs through May 24. Elvis served in Germany in the late 1950s when I was there working for the Stars and Stripes, a daily newspaper put out for our troops and their dependents. That's where he met Priscilla Beaulieu, teenage daughter of a U.S. Air Force officer, who later became the superstar's wife. Our paper wanted to interview Elvis and we were told we could have only one interview during his tour. One of our top reporters, Wally Beene, got the assignment ...
Another fundraiser that deserves support is the Children's Alliance of Hawaii's "Mahealani, Night of the Full Moon," Saturday at 6 p.m. at Moanalua Gardens. The alliance helps sexually abused kids, ranging from toddlers to teens. They need plenty of help. Attorney General Mark Bennett will honor Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Thalia Murphy at the event for 20 years of service in child-abuse cases. Maunalua and an all-lawyer trio called the Meridian Band will entertain. Bev Gannon is dinner chef. There will be live and silent auctions. Call Kim Bartenstein at 599-2955 for info and $175 tickets. There are also table prices ...
Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of people, places and things in our Hawaii. E-mail him at
bwood@starbulletin.com