Wood Craft
TWENTY-three glazed stoneware vessels by Uichi shimizu have been donated to the Contemporary Museum by Phyllis Spalding and are now on display. Shimizu was named a Japanese Living National Treasure in 1985. The Contemporary Museum was art patron Spalding's home before it became a museum. Phyllis made annual trips to Japan in the late '40s and '50s and bought Shimizu's works. She said his mother conducted the business while sipping tea. Shimizu was the artist but mom was everything else, Phyllis said. Phyllis has always been quite the art collector but it took three years before the artist's mom invited her to have tea. She wanted to make sure Phyllis had the right stuff ... Phyllis finally
gets her tea
Judge Kay, court keep us alive
WHEN word came out in September that the Star-Bulletin would be shut down on Oct. 30, I wore black to work the next day in mourning. Tuesday, the day after learning Federal Judge Alan Kay's preliminary injunction preventing the closing of the paper was upheld by the 9th CircuitCourt of Appeals, I wore a bright blue and white Star-Bulletin shirt. A big mahalo goes out to Judge Kay and the thousands of people who supported our paper during this rough time. I lived in the judge's Alewa Heights district when we were kids during World War II. He was a Punahou athlete, Class of '50. We lower Alewa boys, such as Bobby Hinkley, Strat Whiting, Donald Keliinoi and Don Fowler, would walk through his family's property at the top of the hill to go hiking. In talking with my dentist, Bob Cushnie, who was a Punahou athlete in Alan's class, we recalled the judge played football and in his senior year was the prep shot-put champ. He was a Marine during the Korean War ...
Alan's dad was attorney Harold Kay and his mom was the former Anna Cooke, Punahou '22. Thursday I spoke with Alan and told him in early '60 I sailed to S.F. on a Matson liner and his dad was aboard. The senior Kay had been a halfback for U. of Utah and with the Town Team here. He told me he was happy his sons, Alan and Tommy, also an ex-Pun gridder, went into law. Putting it mildly, so are we at the Star-Bulletin, particularly in Alan's case ...
ONWARD: When John Lake gives a Hawaiian blessing, you may get much more. Thursday, John and 40 members of his Na Hanona O Ka Halau Hula Ka Ola Kapu dancers, singers and musicians entertained at the reopening of the Banana Republic store at Ala Moana. It was a beautiful surprise. The store, which has three levels now, is also beautiful ...
OLELO won three Western Access Video Excellence awards at the recent meeting for community media in Palo Alto, Calif. Olelo CEO Lurline McGregor produced two winners, Leah Kihara produced the other ... Wally Isobe, Eric Crabbe, Katsumi Fujii, George Holu and Iwao Ikeno, former members of the 519th M.P. Battalion in Yokohama in 1946-48, had lunch at the Pagoda July 11. They have been meeting every Veterans' Day since 1986 ...
Four Horsemen ready to ride
EMME Tomimbang has Jimmy Borges, Iva Kinimaka, Nephi Hannemann and Dick Jensen lined up for her Hawaii Youth Symphony show at the Hilton Coral Ballroom Nov. 28. Those four horsemen would have made a pretty good prep football backfield many years ago. Besides the guys and the Youth Symphony, the treat offers Nina Kealiiwahamana, Forte, Pure Heart and a buffet. Call 941-9706 for $60 tickets ...
Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets
of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of
people, places and things every Saturday.
E-mail him at bwood@starbulletin.com