|
Wood Craft
Ben Wood
|
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Bob Sevey (center, with lei) flew in for a reunion party on Aug. 30 with former colleagues at Jim and Joan Manke's home.
|
|
Bob Sevey’s ‘The Man’ at KGMB reunion
"We had a helluva party at our house," said
Jim Manke, referring to the Aug. 30 bash for KGMB news alumni who worked for the station from 1975 to 1988. Manke said it was "in the tradition of massive Christmas parties" he and his wife,
Joan, used to throw at their Kailua home.
Manke, a former news director for the station, said the idea for the reunion was hatched last July after one of their colleagues, Doug Woo, died suddenly. "So many people at the services said it's really time we all got together," he said. Working with Manke on the guest list were former assignment editor Janelle Saneishi and current assignment editor Brenda Salgado.
The list of the alumni, a who's who of Hawaii TV during the period, and their guests totaled 63. Eighty-year-old Bob Sevey, Hawaii's Walter Cronkite, was the star of the event. In an interview with KGMB alumna Leslie Wilcox on her PBS "Long Story Short" program that ran last November, Sevey said he was given 12 months to live 13 months ago. Keep in mind that show ran last November, and despite weakness from cancer, the Captain, as he was called at the station, flew in from the Seattle area. Incidentally, Wilcox, who attended the party, was a Star-Bulletin reporter when Sevey hired her. She is now PBS Hawaii chief.
During his visit, Sevey was looked after by Ann Arnone, a nurse and ex-wife of producer Phil Arnone, who was at the reunion. Manke said that after receiving the invitation, Sevey "e-mailed everyone with profound regret that he was not going to be able to make it, 'for obvious reasons.' Then, a week before the event, he called me and said he had decided, 'What the hell, what's the worst that could happen?' "
Some of the others who were there included: Linda Coble and Kirk Matthews, Tina Shelton, Matt Levi, Jade Moon, Howard Dashefsky, Dick Allgire, Bob Jones and Denby Fawcett, Gary Sprinkle and Pamela Young, Elisa Yadao, Lynette Lo Tom, and Bambi Weil, now Eden Hifo, a circuit court judge. Former reporter and now an L.A. attorney, Ken Remson, attended with his wife, Jana Chun, an ex-assignment editor.
Several people sent regrets and greetings. They included Larry Beil, Bart Fredo and Marisol Borromeo. Joe Moore had a previous engagement and Jim Leahey had a volleyball match to call that night. The organizers could not locate Tim Tindall.
After flying home, Sevey sent Manke an e-mail reading, "You really know how to throw an office party, even though the office closed 20 years ago!" He also mentioned that another highlight of the trip came on his return flight when he was seated next to Hawaii's Olympic decathlon champ Bryan Clay ...
All the best to another KGMB longtime star, Kim Gennaula, who joins Kapiolani Health Foundation Monday. She will continue to anchor the "10 o'clock news" through Nov. 16 ...
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