Hawaii
LOCALITE Janet Ohta was glued to her television, alternately troubled by the tragedy in New York and at the Pentagon, and proud of her son during the National Prayer Service at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Jason Ohta was the fellow in Air Force blues seen on national television escorting many of the dignitaries to their seats prior to the service. Jason is an Aiea High grad who was also a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and is now a captain in the Air Force, stationed in Washington D.C. He was selected into the elite White House Aide program, and whenever the President has special events, it's this corps called on to serve. It's especially gratifying to see a product of Hawaii public schools getting national attention ... Isle’s Jason Ohta aids
at D.C. prayer serviceSTUDENTS from around the country were affected during the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance. At St. Andrews Priory School, the middle school students made 1,000 origami cranes, symbolizing peace. They were sent to the Dalton School in New York. Priory elementary students created a poster displaying paper cut-outs of hearts and hands and each wrote a prayer on it. The poster, displayed at the school building, puts it succinctly: "When others are hurting, we care." ... The tragedy in N.Y. and Washington has brought about some emotional instability among those who watched in horror. Here's a possible help: Dr. Sunny Massad, local psychologist and owner of the Hawaii Wellness Institute, is offering a free workshop on dealing with the tragedy as a public service. It'll be held on a first-come, first-seated basis Saturday at 10 a.m. at Manoa Valley Theatre, which is providing its theater free of charge. It's not recommended for younger children ...
Sharing aloha
ALL proceeds from a special Sunday Brunch this coming Sunday at the Swiss Haus in Niu Valley Center will go to the N.Y.C. Firemen's 9-11 Relief Fund. The restaurant's owner/ chef, Freddie Halmes, knows something about the dedication of firemen. His father, younger brother and uncle are all firemen in Belgium. Besides 100 percent of the proceeds, the staff will be contributing time and tips to the cause ... Proceeds from the Honolulu Jazz Quartet's appearance at a sold-out Studio 6 of the Musician's Union are also going to the relief fund. The group debuted "Remembrance," a song written by their leader, John Kolivas, and dedicated to survivors and families of the WTC attack. His wife, Deanna, used to work in the WTC. The group plans to record the song next week ...
Stuck in S.F.
IF the terrorist attack in New York had to strand you somewhere, it might as well be San Francisco. That was the assessment of TV hostess Emme Tomimbang, though she was awfully glad to get home. She did attend the S.F.-Atlanta NFL game with local boy Jesse Sapolu, as he'd promised. She even roamed the sidelines with him, noting how he worked with the celebs and 49-er officials, including the club owner. She met R.C. Owen, a recent visitor who dined here with Jesse. And she was hugely surprised to see Sapolu in an Armani suit ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
The Week That Was recalls items from Dave's 30 years of columns.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com