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Hawaii
YOU never know who you're going to run into while lounging over a cigar and coffee at Havana Cabana downtown. Saturday night, for example, I met Sukarman Sia, the Chaminade grad who went on to amass a fortune before declaring first Chapter 11 and then Chapter 7 bankruptcy. In Just don’t call
him has-beenhis heyday, Sia, then known as "Sukarman Sukamto," and occasionally identified in the paper as "Sukamto Sia," owned three-quarters of the Bank of Honolulu and numerous other properties such as the land on which the new Convention Center sits and Executive Center downtown. He'd divested himself of much of his holdings before his bankruptcy was declared, and today is a citizen of Singapore. He stopped by Havana Cabana on what he described as his first trip back to Hawaii in about a year, an absence he found painful and vows won't happen again. Sia was there with numerous isle and L.A. business associates, plus such golfing buddies as Al Souza and Nathan Minn. His name -- or names -- seem unimportant because everyone around him calls him "S.S." He may have lost much of his fortune, but he's still very much in business, both in L.A. and the Far East, and he still has expensive tastes, puffing on a Cuban cigar. "I collect cigars," he confided, and proceeded to talk knowledgeably about color and flavor of his Montecristo. No more Rolls-Royce in evidence, however, as he was riding shotgun with localite Manny Rezentes. Those making the rounds with "S.S." assure me that while he was down, he's far from out, and will again be making a name for himself in the business world. Sia left for L.A. yesterday, but plans to return before the week's out, and will doubtless be found on one or another golf course here, if not in the odd board room ...
Just say 'Yes'
YOU think First Hawaiian Bank doesn't take its "Bank that says 'Yes' " commercials to heart? How else to explain that one of the most successful booths at the weekend's First Hawaiian Bank "Made in Hawaii Expo" was manned by the familiar couple Ben & Gloria Tamashiro. Their names may not be familiar but they are the twosome who portrayed "Harry and Myra" in the popular series of Bank of Hawaii television commercials. When they expressed an interest in selling cute Hawaiian print patchwork slippers and potholders at the other bank's expo, First Hawaiian said "Yes, of course." ...WHEN KGMB and KHON-TV saw the need to hire new weather reporters, each followed the trend and set up such photogenic females as Ku'ualoha Taylor and Trini Kaopuiki respectively. So, if KHNL chooses to follow suit, now would be the perfect time for beauty queens to get in line. The station's main weather reporter, Erin Brown, gave notice last week, and as is so often the case, will be following her boyfriend to the mainland where he's taken a new job ...
Skeleton in the closet
HEARING that lesbian lovers Ann Heche and Ellen Degeneres have elected to go their separate ways didn't come as a surprise to me. What made me sit up and take notice was news that Heche at one time counted Richard Burgi as a boyfriend of some significance. I knew the "Sentinel" star when he was in Hawaii appearing in "One West Waikiki," and even attended his wedding at the Nuuanu estate of Frannie Morgan some years ago. Heche apparently preceded Lori, the young woman Burgi took as his bride here ...
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