Hawaii
Nick’s to get
a name changeONE of Hawaii's best known restaurants is about to undergo a name change. Nicholas Nickolas in the Ala Moana Hotel will be going through a major renovation and on its completion will be called Aaron's. The new name reflects the fact that Aaron Placourakis is now the president of the group that owns it, and his uncle, Nick Nickolas is no longer there. This all came to light when I attended a dinner party in the private room thrown by Gene and Jeannie Axelrod for some 30 friends Saturday night. The two are leaving for the mainland and will be gone a month, so they whipped up a last minute party to say aloha ...
AMONG those at the party was old Axelrod friend Jim Nabors, who had many inside stories about the late Doris Duke, whom he knew probably better than anyone over a great many years. He thought the TV version of her life story was horrible and totally unlike her. But if anyone has the material to write the definitive book about the reclusive tobacco heiress, Nabors is the one ... Jim was reminiscing that he's been in Hawaii now for 30 years, and while he dislikes flying to mainland gigs, will put up with it in order to call Hawaii home. One interesting story: His annual rendition of "Back Home Again in Indiana" at the Indy 500 race came about when he and casino owner/car collector Bill Harrah were at Indy, and he met Speedway owner Tony Hulman, who asked if he'd like to sing a song? "The national anthem?" Jim asked. "No," said Hulman, "'Back Home Again in Indiana.' You know it, don't you?" Nabors did, and sang it. The following year Hulman asked him to do it again and it's become almost as much a tradition as the race itself ...
Brilliant deduction
ATTORNEY Rick Fried and longtime girlfriend Suzie Tripton plan to enter the final day of 1999 as single folks, and emerge in the new millennium as a married couple. "Moon will be conducting the ceremony," said Fried. "The Rev. Sun Young Moon?" I asked, astounded. "No," chortled Fried, "Judge Ronald Moon, the chief justice of the Hawaii supreme court." ... At one point, Fried asked Nabors, whose house is midway between his and Doris Duke's, what was going to happen to the Duke estate. Before Nabors could answer, I quipped, "It'd make a nice marriage chapel." Fried, whose idea of a marriage chapel on Diamond Head Road was shot down by neighbors, laughed along with everyone else. Incidentally, Nabors said there's still a move afoot to install a museum at the Duke estate, though some neighbors might not be too thrilled about that either ...GUESS who was golfing at Waialae without a shirt? Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, that's who. But it's all perfectly legal, I'm told, thanks to "the Harman rule." That was the rule restaurateur Jeff Harman got put on the books at the club when he was on the rules committee, because he liked to get a tan when he played. So after the first hole, some folks doff their tops. No, not on Ladies Day ...
Banzai!
THAT was an interesting duo lunching at my favorite Chinese restaurant, the Mandarin, on Friday. There were former attorney general Marjery Bronster and interim attorney general Earl Anzai, possibly exchanging tips. Someone should tip off the state's newest top attorney that he hasn't kept his Hawaii Bar Association dues up to date. ...
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