Wood Craft
JERRY COFFEE, who spent seven years as a POW in Vietnam, and former Miss Texas Susan Page will marry on July 4 next year. MidWeek columnist Susan and Jerry first met in 1977 when they were married to other people. They've been an "item" for eight years. Susan let the word out at a Ruth's Chris reception Tuesday for Mrs. Hawaii Sydney Fernandez-Fasi. Sydney looked smashing in a Christina von Fieandt form-fitting ribbon woven silk strapless dress. Linda said that she, her mom, Fun Factory Prez Linda Fernandez, and the rest of her Fernandez-Fasi ohana are pumped with excitement over the Mrs. America Pageant at the Hilton Village Sept. 7-21. Randy Schoch, who has the Ruth's Chris franchise here, was in town and attended the party. Knowing I'm always looking for the ultimate burger, Randy insisted I return to try one now that Ruth's is open for lunch. Ruth's steaks are heavenly so this may be a burger paradise ... Susan Page will marry
Jerry Coffee next year
Honors for Chef Wyss
MARTIN WYSS, former Swiss Inn owner-chef, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Chef de Cuisine/National Association of Catering Executives Renaissance Dinner at the Sheraton Waikiki Sept. 28. Signature dishes will be prepared by Ram Arora, Kusuma Cooray, Rey Dasalla, Fred DeAngelo, Daniel Delbrel, Cyrus Goo, Wayne Hirabayashi, Yosoji Kanada, OnJin Kim, Cepherino Maduli, Eugenio Martignago, Elden Rodrigues, Tom Wong and Shigeto Yagi. Call Dianna Shintanishi, 739-8711, for tickets starting at $85. Entertainment, door prizes and a silent auction are included ...HAUMEA HEBENSTREIT, Don Ho's exec producer, is feeling high after she and Amy Rice, a V.P. at the Big Isle's Hokuli'a golf community, won the women's division of the Mayor's Cup at Mauna Lani earlier this month ... Congratulations to Loyal Garner, who will receive the Mauka Makai Award Sept. 22 at the 30th anniversary celebration and inaugural fund-raiser for the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii. The dinner is in the Board of Water Supply parking lot ... Wayne Newton is booked Friday at the Sheraton Waikiki. It's a benefit for the Waikiki Community Center ...
Letter to the chief
DEAR CHIEF Lee Donohue: If a section of a freeway is totally closed by a terrible fatal accident as H-1 was Sunday from 4 a.m. to about 2 p.m., please position officers to keep traffic from entering the jammed area of the freeway. I took the H-1 Punchbowl onramp Sunday shortly after 11 a.m., planning to drive to Hawaii Kai for a hair cut and ran smack into the horrendous jam. Cars inched along until the King Street exit past UH. It took me about an hour to cover the short distance. Needless to say, I missed my appointment so my thinning hair is still ragged around the edges. What's more, Sue "The Barber" Hill at Salon Etc., who has been cutting my hair for more than 30 years, is from the old school and gives neck and shoulder massages that an aging columnist desperately needs. But more important, chief, slap down road racers. The death of much-loved Holy Trinity teacher Elizabeth Kekoa, 58, in that H-1 crash, allegedly caused by a racing driver, is tragic ...
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