SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2015 - The Pacific Club
WHO WAS THERE: Miss Kunioka, Sue Ann Lau, Ann Slaby, John & Carol Chong, Joanne Fujii, Mel & Vivian Choy, Tahi Reynolds, Sandra Ohara, Howard & Linda Yoshiura, Naomi & Barry Kim, Vern & Lorri Kajikawa, Dayton Auyong, Sandee & Nathan Wong, Dennis & Dianne Sugihara, Jade Young, Ricky AuHoy, Evie & Chet Ching, Carolyn & Peter Adler, Bongo Chun, Fay Yoshida, Linda Mae Onomoto, Vince Lee, Miles & Linda Nakashima.
WHAT WE DID: We drank some more; we ate lots of ono food; we renewed old friendships and caught up with each other; we took pictures; we remembered those who could not join us and those no longer with us; we resolved the issue of our class gift to UHS; and added another member to the Class of ’63.
The Pacific Club is exclusive - they don’t have a sign anywhere. I guess it means that if you need a sign telling you this is the Pacific Club, you don’t belong here. We had a large room set up in “corporate training” style - if you’ve ever been to a training session set-up in a U-shaped configuration, you’ll have a good idea of how the room was set-up. This was great because everyone could see each other and no one was bashful about shouting out their comments.
As everyone entered the banquet area, they dutifully pinned on their name tags, got their glass of wine, staked-out their seat in the U-shaped formation.
Vern started the evening by welcoming everyone and telling us there was no “planned” program for the evening because at our age we had to be in bed early. He started by recognizing the off-island classmates who were presented with flower leis at the banquet: Bongo (WA), Ann (CA), Tahi (Maui - moving to Oahu), Dayton (Guam - came the farthest distance), and Miles (IL).
A round of applause was given to each Reunion Committee as Vern mentioned the 70-in-2015 event they conducted:
Vernon is the driving force behind all that the Reunion Committee does and accomplishes. He provides the leadership and steady hand that make the Committee function so successfully. What’s more, Committee members are still friendly with each other. Vernon is a “cat herder” able to get everyone together on time to pull in the same direction.
Should anyone have doubts about whether we are culturally sophisticated, one only needs to talk to Sugi and Dianne because their “late” arrival to the banquet was due to them attending a performance of “Sister Act” at the Diamond Head Theater. They received a round of applause from those seated at the U-shaped room as they opened the doors and entered the dining area.
Evie Ching recently returned to the Islands after spending 40+ years in Carlsbad, CA. This was her first reunion so Vern made Evie stand in front of everyone and tell us a few things about what she has been doing. No pressure - Evie was a great sport.
Jade Young proposed to the assembled group that we develop a Facebook-like web page for class members to share information about each other. It will contain a “chop suey” of information. Be on the lookout for a future announcement about this web page.
Miles reminded the class mates that our class website (http://uhs63.weebly.com/) is a “living document” whose continued evolution is due to the contributions and comments from the Class of ’63. Someone is viewing the site because it averages approximately 350-400 hits per month. If you have pictures, comments, anything, that you would like to share with other members of the class, contact Miles @ [email protected].
The banquet ended when many realized their bedtime was quickly approaching - 2100 hours or 9:00 PM for the rest of you.
We had a great time as evidenced by the laughter, hugs, and “keep in touch” shouts as we departed.
WHAT WE DID: We drank some more; we ate lots of ono food; we renewed old friendships and caught up with each other; we took pictures; we remembered those who could not join us and those no longer with us; we resolved the issue of our class gift to UHS; and added another member to the Class of ’63.
The Pacific Club is exclusive - they don’t have a sign anywhere. I guess it means that if you need a sign telling you this is the Pacific Club, you don’t belong here. We had a large room set up in “corporate training” style - if you’ve ever been to a training session set-up in a U-shaped configuration, you’ll have a good idea of how the room was set-up. This was great because everyone could see each other and no one was bashful about shouting out their comments.
As everyone entered the banquet area, they dutifully pinned on their name tags, got their glass of wine, staked-out their seat in the U-shaped formation.
Vern started the evening by welcoming everyone and telling us there was no “planned” program for the evening because at our age we had to be in bed early. He started by recognizing the off-island classmates who were presented with flower leis at the banquet: Bongo (WA), Ann (CA), Tahi (Maui - moving to Oahu), Dayton (Guam - came the farthest distance), and Miles (IL).
A round of applause was given to each Reunion Committee as Vern mentioned the 70-in-2015 event they conducted:
- Golf - Howard, Vernon
- Bowling - Ricky
- Friday talk story - Fay & Carolyn
- Banquet - Sandra, Vince, Sue Ann, Dennis
- Finances - Howard
- Publicity & Administrivia - John, Miles
Vernon is the driving force behind all that the Reunion Committee does and accomplishes. He provides the leadership and steady hand that make the Committee function so successfully. What’s more, Committee members are still friendly with each other. Vernon is a “cat herder” able to get everyone together on time to pull in the same direction.
Should anyone have doubts about whether we are culturally sophisticated, one only needs to talk to Sugi and Dianne because their “late” arrival to the banquet was due to them attending a performance of “Sister Act” at the Diamond Head Theater. They received a round of applause from those seated at the U-shaped room as they opened the doors and entered the dining area.
Evie Ching recently returned to the Islands after spending 40+ years in Carlsbad, CA. This was her first reunion so Vern made Evie stand in front of everyone and tell us a few things about what she has been doing. No pressure - Evie was a great sport.
Jade Young proposed to the assembled group that we develop a Facebook-like web page for class members to share information about each other. It will contain a “chop suey” of information. Be on the lookout for a future announcement about this web page.
Miles reminded the class mates that our class website (http://uhs63.weebly.com/) is a “living document” whose continued evolution is due to the contributions and comments from the Class of ’63. Someone is viewing the site because it averages approximately 350-400 hits per month. If you have pictures, comments, anything, that you would like to share with other members of the class, contact Miles @ [email protected].
The banquet ended when many realized their bedtime was quickly approaching - 2100 hours or 9:00 PM for the rest of you.
We had a great time as evidenced by the laughter, hugs, and “keep in touch” shouts as we departed.
NEW CLASS MEMBER - MISS KUNIOKA
Vernon announced to the class that Miss Kunioka is now an official member of the Class of ’63! Further, he let us in on a little known bit of information about Miss Kunioka - she does not like BROCCOLI.
If any of us get to be 92 years old like Miss Kunioka, I hope we still have the memory she has, and bounce in her step and joy for life, as she does. It is hard to believe that she started in the cafeteria at UHS when the 70-in-2015 members were born! 1945. She told some of us about the early days when she started the cafeteria - scrounging for pots & pans and other equipment, to build a functioning cafeteria.
If you’re in Vegas and happen to be around the Fremont Hotel, pop in and you might just see Miss Kunioka. Her latest trip there was in August 2015.
If any of us get to be 92 years old like Miss Kunioka, I hope we still have the memory she has, and bounce in her step and joy for life, as she does. It is hard to believe that she started in the cafeteria at UHS when the 70-in-2015 members were born! 1945. She told some of us about the early days when she started the cafeteria - scrounging for pots & pans and other equipment, to build a functioning cafeteria.
If you’re in Vegas and happen to be around the Fremont Hotel, pop in and you might just see Miss Kunioka. Her latest trip there was in August 2015.
ONO FOOD
This section is dedicated to Kaori O’Connor in London, England.
Imagine people of our age having to make the following choices:
Imagine people of our age having to make the following choices:
- Tomato & Maui Onion salad
- Roasted Chinese Duck Salad with crispy noodles
- Spinach, Bacon, & Bleu Cheese with herb vinaigrette
- Broiled Catch of the Day with a lemon butter caper sauce
- Charbroiled Teriyaki Beef
- Fried Rice
- Asian stir-fried vegetables
- Key Lime pie with raspberry sauce
- Warm Bread Pudding with vanilla sauce
- Fresh Fruit with lilikoi mint sauce
CLASS GIFT TO UHS - UPDATE
It only took our class fifty-two years to decide on a class gift to UHS when we last met as a group in October 2015 at the 70-in-2015 banquet. And just like the gift we think we gave in 1963, it only took one year for the gift to disappear. We never got around to putting a plaque on our gift so that might explain why it disappeared in 2016.
As part of the continuing improvements to the University Laboratory School, a “new” athletic field is being developed. The athletic field we played on is shown in the pictures accompanying this article - that area has been leveled and will contain three small building for the UH College of Education. Our class gift, the chain-link baseball backstop, was removed (and is probably in a trash dump somewhere on Oahu) and all evidence of our class gift is now gone.
The new athletic field will be located on Metcalf Street where the elementary school building was located prior to being destroyed in a fire.
Stay tuned for pictures showing the new athletic field and the changes to the area where we played in the seventh grade.
No one can remember what we gave to UHS as our Senior Class gift. Some classmates said we donated a concrete bench - there are concrete benches at UHS but none of them contain a plaque mentioning that it was a gift from the Class of ’63. Could we have indeed donated a concrete bench and not included a plaque…sounds like something we could have done.
However, we think we need something tangible that people can recognize as having been given to the school from our class. Something that we used during our time at UHS and something that is still there.
While visiting UHS during our 50th reunion in 2013, we were surprised to see the wire-mesh baseball backstop still in place at the same location it was during our seventh and grade years. The backstop is located in the open sloping area that led to the Barn (our gym with the concrete floor), on the makai of our seventh grade building.
The backstop symbolizes our class quite appropriately: able to age but still remain functional, service to the school, durable, and not minding to remain in the background.
We will have some type of metal plate made saying the backstop is a gift from the Class of ’63.
As part of the continuing improvements to the University Laboratory School, a “new” athletic field is being developed. The athletic field we played on is shown in the pictures accompanying this article - that area has been leveled and will contain three small building for the UH College of Education. Our class gift, the chain-link baseball backstop, was removed (and is probably in a trash dump somewhere on Oahu) and all evidence of our class gift is now gone.
The new athletic field will be located on Metcalf Street where the elementary school building was located prior to being destroyed in a fire.
Stay tuned for pictures showing the new athletic field and the changes to the area where we played in the seventh grade.
No one can remember what we gave to UHS as our Senior Class gift. Some classmates said we donated a concrete bench - there are concrete benches at UHS but none of them contain a plaque mentioning that it was a gift from the Class of ’63. Could we have indeed donated a concrete bench and not included a plaque…sounds like something we could have done.
However, we think we need something tangible that people can recognize as having been given to the school from our class. Something that we used during our time at UHS and something that is still there.
While visiting UHS during our 50th reunion in 2013, we were surprised to see the wire-mesh baseball backstop still in place at the same location it was during our seventh and grade years. The backstop is located in the open sloping area that led to the Barn (our gym with the concrete floor), on the makai of our seventh grade building.
The backstop symbolizes our class quite appropriately: able to age but still remain functional, service to the school, durable, and not minding to remain in the background.
We will have some type of metal plate made saying the backstop is a gift from the Class of ’63.