Senior Walk tradition began in 1979

Blaine Gaison and Ed Riewerts are among the greats of University of Hawaii football, and their contributions are unquestionable. However, they did not start the Senior Walk tradition at UH, although it is often reported as such ("Countdown to Kickoff," Star-Bulletin, Aug. 9).

In 1979, after the final game of the season, long after the stadium had been emptied and the lights turned out, then-coach Dick Tomey noticed Nelson Maeda leaving the locker room heading toward the field. Tomey asked, "Where are you going?" Nelson replied "going for one last look," or something to that effect.

And that was the start of the Senior Walk tradition.

D. Tokuda

Fort Weaver Road needs a better light

The flashing crosswalk light at the Fort Weaver Road is a much-needed device to ensure pedestrian safety, but why only a flashing light?

We all know that no driver is going to heed a flashing light. A traffic light that actually stops the vehicles is really the only light that will make the road safer for pedestrians.

Michael Nomura

Thanks for caring about accident victim

On July 9, 16-year-old Marilene Rongcal Bacani, on her way to do volunteer work with the disabled children at Campbell High School, lost her life when a car hit her while she crossed Fort Weaver Road.

It was very comforting to know that at the time of Marilene's struggle, many people came to her rescue and that she was never alone.

We, her family, would like to thank all our relatives and friends and so many people we did not know, for the many cards, flowers and kind messages.

Our special thanks to the witnesses, to the employees of the Child & Family Service Center, and to everyone who tended to her at the time of the accident. We are also grateful to the emergency crew and the doctors and staff of the St. Francis Hospital and The Queen's Medical Center.

We also want to acknowledge the members of the news media who abided by our request for privacy in our time of mourning.

To one and all, our deepest appreciation and thank you.

Renato Rongcal
For the Rongcal-Bacani family

'Culture' changes as we get smarter

Every society has cultural practices, and some are governed by law to keep them from offending and interfering with other behavior.

Chicken-fighting is not part of the Hawaiian host culture and is outlawed in this American society. The same is true for gambling away the rent and family food money. True again for foreign cultural practices such as the oppression of women.

Soon sitting around smoking "Hawaiian ice" will be claimed to be a cultural thing, but that won't make it legal or less of a thing that just makes you stupid.

Cultures change and even disappear over time. Communal laws for living in a society change as the people grow in understanding of what is right or wrong, good or bad.

It's going to take some people a lot of growing up to integrate into present-day America, or perhaps those people should return to the society they came from (or think they came from) and hope their cultural practices and laws haven't changed since they left.

Larry Hurst

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