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Hawaii Dave Donnelly |
Dave’s motto is
‘liver long and prosper’ON Friday I called Dr. John Falzarano, retired head of the Gastro-Interology Department at Kaiser Hospital and found him at home. I told him I just called to say thanks, and he asked, what for? I informed him it was nine years to the day that he did the emergency liver operation that saved my life. "Has it been nine years?" he asked in wonder. "No wonder I retired." He didn't think I'd survive and told friends of mine I only had about 48 hours to live and if I had living relatives they'd best get to Hawaii at once. Two showed up, but I was feeling much better by the time they got here, and now I love kidding the doc that this has been the longest 48 hours he's ever seen. And I told him the secret to my recovery: "Only the good die young." ...
I TOOK in the Perry & Price 20th anniversary breakfast show at the Sheraton Waikiki on Saturday, and was surprised when Michael W. Perry recognized me in the audience and that I'd be celebrating my 35th year of writing this daily column in December. "Thirty-five years," said Perry, seemingly amazed since his 20 years seemed like a lifetime. He asked me a question and again to my surprise, show producer Sweetie Pacarro, like a well-dressed ninja, appeared and held a microphone to my face and we chatted a bit. "You've only got another 15 years to go," I told them, and Perry's eyes sort of rolled upward ... On arrival I was asked if I'd like to sit at the dignitaries table with the governor and Hawaii's congressional team, or at a table with two beauty queens. "My mama didn't raise no dummies," I said, and so broke bread with a group of women including Miss Hawaii USA Justine Michioka (who, when standing, was eye to eye with me -- a tall drink of water) and Miss Garden Isle, Oleana Rubin, both wearing tiaras and looking like a million dollars --the girls, not the tiaras ...
Bali "Hi"
CHEF Martin Wyss presided over the dinner at the Bali by the Sea restaurant in the Hilton Hawaiian Village, and his cuisine was a salute to the dinners he used to prepare at the old Kahala Hilton. What made it truly nostalgic was that the pair of stately managers at the door were regular Bali G.M. Alicia Antonio and Charlie Goodness, who managed the Maile Room at the old Kahala. It was nostalgia time for many ...
Yesterday's news
THE feature on the '70s in yesterday's Star-Bulletin brought back lots of memories. For example, the photo of Muhammad Ali reminded me of sitting ringside (with Norman Mailer) at the "Thrilla in Manila," and writing pre- and post-fight stories about it for the sports section. The photo of "The Brady Bunch" reminded me of meeting the still gorgeous, though petite, Florence Henderson in S.F. last month. I was amazed to see she was barely 5 feet tall but then realized we'd mostly seen her with kids on TV, which naturally made her seem taller. And speaking of bus fares, I found it interesting that while San Francisco is a notoriously expensive place to live, the bus fares are far cheaper than Honolulu's and if ours are raised they'll be even grosser than they are now. And transfers are free ...
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968. The Week That Was runs Sundays and recalls items from Dave's 30 years of columns. Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com
