The Class of '63 celebrated their 60th anniversary - their diamond anniversary - at the Oahu Country Club on Friday, September 27 and at an informal bento at 999 Wilder on Saturday, September 28, 2023. Our best estimate is there are seventy-two of us left from the eighty-nine who received diplomas. The event was advertised as the last planned reunion to be held - the "sunset" of committee planned reunions. In the future we’ll host and party whenever someone is in town and wants to get together with the local classmates to reminisce and talk story.
Whatever the motivation, the reunion saw thirty-nine classmates and fourteen spouses and/or guests attend the luncheon on Friday at OCC.
Classmates attending were: Vernon Kajikawa, Dayton Auyong, John Chong, Miles Nakashima, Frank Yap, Linda Mae Onomoto, Howard Yoshiura, Carolyn (Watanabe) Adler, Fay (Yamashita) Yoshida, Sandra (Aoki) Ohara, Naomi (Lee) Kim, Joan (Hardy) Layton, Clayton Ching, Sue Ann (Cheong) Lau, Bernice (Young) Ortiz, Evie (Chung) Ching, Darlene (Eng) Ching, Robin (Len) Eng, Dennis Saiki, Glenn Bauer, Melvin Choy, Bobbie Aisaka, Joanne (Sato) Fujii, Ricky AuHoy, Milton Yee, Diane (Yanagisako) Fujikami, Jade Young, James MacDonald, Lawrence Lim, Carolyn (Holu) Smith, John Lee, Stan & Jan (Mitsuzawa) Naguwa, Keith Racuya, Tahi Mottl-Reynolds.
Classmates attending were: Vernon Kajikawa, Dayton Auyong, John Chong, Miles Nakashima, Frank Yap, Linda Mae Onomoto, Howard Yoshiura, Carolyn (Watanabe) Adler, Fay (Yamashita) Yoshida, Sandra (Aoki) Ohara, Naomi (Lee) Kim, Joan (Hardy) Layton, Clayton Ching, Sue Ann (Cheong) Lau, Bernice (Young) Ortiz, Evie (Chung) Ching, Darlene (Eng) Ching, Robin (Len) Eng, Dennis Saiki, Glenn Bauer, Melvin Choy, Bobbie Aisaka, Joanne (Sato) Fujii, Ricky AuHoy, Milton Yee, Diane (Yanagisako) Fujikami, Jade Young, James MacDonald, Lawrence Lim, Carolyn (Holu) Smith, John Lee, Stan & Jan (Mitsuzawa) Naguwa, Keith Racuya, Tahi Mottl-Reynolds.
This was the first class reunion for Joan (Hardy) Layton who came from Salt Lake City and for Keith Racuya who came from California. Classmate attending whom we have not seen in a long time were James Oda, Larry Lim, John Lee, Milton Yee, Carolyn (Holu) Smith, Among the guests were Keith’s son and son-in-law, and Nathan Wong, husband of Sandee.
Jade Young was eloquent as she spoke and remembered those classmates who could not be with us. A moment of silence was held for us classmates who were no longer with us.
Reunion Events
- Friday, September 27 - luncheon at Oahu Country Club
- Saturday, September 28 - tour and briefing of University Lab School (ULS) and bento at 999 Wilder at 4:00 p.m.
Luncheon at Oahu Country Club, Friday, September 27, 2023. We celebrated our 50th anniversary at this same venue although we were in a different location this time. As usual the venue was superb with spectacular views, delicious food, and ample, close-by parking. Vernon Kajikawa once again served as the Master of Ceremony with his usual aplomb, prodigious memory and understated humor. He was recognized for his leadership and guidance of the reunion committee since the 1980’s and for his representing the class in the ULS Board of Governors. This is a link to see the book presented to Vernon www.shutterfly.com/share-product/?shareid=1d437d1b-467c-4951-b4b6-80c7da138ab8&cid=SHARPRDWEBMPRLNK. Other classmates recognized for being the glue to hold the class together throughout the years were John Chong, Ricky AuHoy, Howard Yoshiura, Miles Nakashima, and other members the Reunion Committee - Carolyn (Watanabe) Adler, Sue Ann (Cheong) Lau, Vincent Lee, Fay (Yamashita) Yoshida, Sandra (Aoki) Ohara, Dennis Sugihara,
Even with a little help from his friends and his keyboard, Ricky AuHoy just could not get classmates to raise their voices loudly to sing the words by Lynne Kaori O’Connor to our class doing.
Even with a little help from his friends and his keyboard, Ricky AuHoy just could not get classmates to raise their voices loudly to sing the words by Lynne Kaori O’Connor to our class doing.
Reunion Committee
Recognition & Singing Class Song
The buffet lunch provided by Oahu Country Club was "onolicious" as seen in the long lines to the tables. Baking skills of classmates was on display because they provided desserts of Apple Crisp, Almond Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Backlava, and Pumpkin Crunch, baked by Carolyn (Watanabe) Adler, Evie (Chung) Ching, Carolyn (Holu) Smith, and Fay (Yamashita) Yoshida.
Tour of school, Saturday, September 28, 2023. Keoni Jeremiah, Principal, provided Vernon, Sandra Ohara, Carolyn Adler, Mel Choy, Milton Yee, Keith Racuya, Miles, Ricky, Glenn, Joan Layton and Tahi, with a briefing about the school’s accomplishments and status and answered many questions. It was good to hear that the school continues to have an excellent reputation as evidenced by the fact it has more nominations than space to accommodate those who seek attendance. Also comforting was the information that for the foreseeable future ULS will continue to exist. A tour of the school grounds revealed many differences from when we were there - we could identify Building 3, the Arts & Crafts building, portions of the Elementary School. Gone was our gym with the uneven concrete floor - The Barn - and the big open field in front of the gym as well as the baseball backstop. Ricky, Tahi, Joan and Glenn were together in Elementary School so they were aware of more changes than those of us who started in the seventh grade.
Informal Bento, Saturday, September 28. “Talk story” was the distinguishing feature of the Saturday night event. Seated around groups of small tables that encouraged all to engage and share with each other on a wide variety of topics ranging from the fortunes of the University of Hawaii volleyball team to “wha u bin doing” and grandchildren, was heard throughout the evening. The smiles and laughter were of a magnitude that any planned Reunion Committee activities were set aside in favor of talking with each other. All too soon the event came to an end and we all left knowing that this was the end of our 60th Reunion.
REFLECTIONS
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Wisdom may come with age, but it also comes with walkers, canes to steady us, hearing aids, and other medical accoutrements to help us in our daily lives. These were in evidence at the reunion. Surprisingly though, age did not change the physical appearance of any classmate to such a degree that anyone said “who dat?” Sure, there was white thinning hair but no completely bald men, a few more wrinkles, slower walking, climbing steps one-at-a-time, some stooping. But all in all, the Class of ’63 looks pretty good for our soon to be eighties. (submitted by Miles Nakashima)
Wisdom may come with age, but it also comes with walkers, canes to steady us, hearing aids, and other medical accoutrements to help us in our daily lives. These were in evidence at the reunion. Surprisingly though, age did not change the physical appearance of any classmate to such a degree that anyone said “who dat?” Sure, there was white thinning hair but no completely bald men, a few more wrinkles, slower walking, climbing steps one-at-a-time, some stooping. But all in all, the Class of ’63 looks pretty good for our soon to be eighties. (submitted by Miles Nakashima)
