There’s a time a for joy
A time for tears
A time we’ll treasure through the years
We’ll remember always
Graduation day
At the senior prom
We danced ’til three
And there you gave your heart to me
We’ll remember always
Graduation day
Though we leave in sorrow
All the joys we’ve known
We can face tomorrow
Knowing we’ll never walk alone
When the ivy walks
Are far behind
No matter where our paths may wind
We’ll remember always
Graduation day
Graduation weekend is upon us once again. Graduation is a special time. It’s the close of one major chapter in the book of life and at the same time, the beginning of another.
Do you remember your graduation day?
My graduation ceremony kind of sucked. Quite a few traditions ended with our graduating class. The big one to me was that Kailua High School always graduated at the HIC (Neal Blaisdell Center for you young un’s). And every year the graduating class would be warned not to light firecrackers at the ceremony or KHS will be banned from graduating at the HIC. And every year the KHS graduating class would light firecrackers and jeopardize the next graduating class. Well, starting with our class, Kailua High School was banned from graduating at the HIC, so that meant it was to be held on the field. However, our field’s bleachers were so termite eaten, they were condemned. Everyone had to stand on the dirt track during the ceremony. At least it didn’t rain.
Another tradition was that our gowns were light blue instead of the traditional dark blue. We had disposable gowns and caps - which I still have today - so much for disposable. And our tassel was light blue and white instead of the traditional dark blue and white. But at least it was blue and white. Being that we were graduating in the bicentennial year, we almost had a red, white, and blue tassel.
Our Graduation song: We May Never Pass This Way Again by Seals & Crofts
Then after the ceremony, I headed home where my mom had prepared up a huge spread of food and some of the relatives had come over to party. After the guests went home, then it was off to the Pagoda hotel to the real party with classmates.
My wife was telling me that her graduation night was almost the same. After graduating on the circle at McKinley and getting all the leis and balloons at the lettered trees, she headed home for a family party. Then her boyfriend at the time (we hadn’t met yet), picked her up and they went to another friend’s house to party. After that, she joined her close friends at Ala Moana park’s “highrise” where they partied until the sun came up.
McKinley’s 1979 Graduation song: You’ll Never Walk Alone from the musical Carousel
A tradition at Kailua High was that during the last week for seniors, they’d play a prank of some sort during the night for everyone to see the following morning. Nothing damaging or harsh like graffiti, but something fun like toilet papering the tree in the courtyard. I don’t recall what our class did, but I do remember that the Class of ‘74 had a bunch of tires stacked over the flagpole. I don’t know how they did it, but I believe it was the fire department that volunteered their services - and ladder - to get those tires off the flag pole. Only thing I could think of was that those guys climbed on a nearby rooftop and threw the tires onto the flagpole.
@ancntbwlr - if you were one of those guys who pulled off that prank, tell us how you guys did it!
Other schools such as Kalani, Kaiser, Kalaheo, & Punahou would climb up the mountainside and paint their year on a certain rock face as a tradition.
Anyway, a coworker suggested I post up my senior picture, so here you go (click on the picture to see my senior portrait)
*notice the Angels Flight double knit suit.
What do you remember about your graduation? Do you recall your graduation song? What pranks or traditions did you do as a senior?
What school you went grad? It’s more than a way to start a conversation. It’s the way locals get a sense of each other without asking a whole lot of questions. Kind of like how dogs get a sense of each other by smelling each other’s butts.
Okay, bad analogy, but you get the gist of it.
A lot of times, after disclosing the school that you graduated from, it’s usually followed with “What year you went grad?“, which then leads to “You know who is…“. But use the what year question with caution when talking to Midlifers - especially the women. It’s not like the younger days anymore, when after disclosing the school, the year automatically followed right behind: “Kailua - ‘76“.
Once the schools and years are known, the possibilities are endless. For example, just take a look at the Old Watering Holes blog entry. NKHEA and M don’t just know each other, they still hang out together! Then that leads to snow asking M some questions and they too know each other! I’m still watching to see if snow knows mjstc too.
So now, I’m going to pose the “what school you went grad?” question to all the Midlife Crisis readers. If you’re net-shy, then instead of naming the specific school, you can just list “town” or “country” or “neighbor island”. But show your school spirit and represent!
As for the year…, if you shame, you can just say “mid-60’s” or “early 70’s”.
And if you want to list your elementary and intermediate schools also, that’s cool too.
Me:
Kainalu Elementary
Kalaheo Intermediate
Kailua High - ‘76
I wanted to take this Memorial day to honor our war veterans - specifically the Vietnam war veterans. I know that hemajang is one of them and I’m sure there are many other Midlifers who have served in Vietnam, and unfortunately, many who didn’t made it home.
For me, the Vietnam war was something I barely knew. I was too young to understand what war was and I had no interest at 8 years old in watching the 6:oo news. All I know is what I saw and heard in passing of Bob Seavey talking about the Vietnam war every night. I thought it was just a normal segment of the news - like sports and weather. I would see the pictures of the fighting in the jungles and then I’d see protesters holding signs and fighting with the police. But I was just looking at the pictures.
It wasn’t until after I saw the movie “Deer Hunter”. All of a sudden, those pictures I used to see on the 6:00 news made sense to me. That’s what I used to see every night! And then I thought about the soldiers - how much physical and mental torture they must’ve endured, and then to come back home and adjust to civilian life - like that phase in their life was nothing.
My God, these guys are heroes.
Back then, there was no such thing a kevlar helmets, body armor, or knee pads, laser guided bombs or stealth fighters. It was brute strength that got you through. And sheer determination that brought you home.
So on this Memorial day, I’d like to honor not only our fallen soldiers who paid the ultimate price, but the veterans who made it home, for you too have sacrificed in your own way.
A little late on this one as prom season is all but over, however I thought I’d visit proms anyway.
In our day, the prom was held at Waikiki hotel ballrooms. Bids were sold at school and the biggest worry was who to invite (for the guys) and whether you’d be invited (for the girls). I had a steady girlfriend throughout high school so it was easy for me. But for my single friends, they’d have to build up the courage to ask a girl to the prom. And if they waited too long, the girl might accept an invitation from another guy, so the pressure was on. Or worse yet, the girl might turn him down waiting for a certain someone to ask her. Asking a girl was hard enough. Dealing with the rejection is brutal. Especially when your friends tell you “brah, why no go ask da ugly one. I bet she’ll go wit you”.
The best way was to ask the girl’s friend if that girl would go the the prom with you. If her friend comes back and tells you yes, then all you had to do was ask her. If she says no, then at least you save face.
After the guy secured a date, then it was time to rent the tux. Hale Nui was the place to go. Celebrity formals was if you wanted a more hip look - and had more money to spend. Next was ordering the lei. 3 strands pikake if you’re just friends. 5 stands pikake if you want to be more than just friends. 7 strands pikake if you really want to impress her. 9 strands pikake - plan to get lucky.
If the prom didn’t include dinner - which most of them didn’t back then - then reservations had to be made at a nice restaurant. The Summit (thanks for reminding me of that one D) atop the Ala Moana hotel was a hot place to have dinner. Black Angus on Kuhio, Ships Tavern, and other fine dining restaurants started the night.
Then it was on to the prom. Meeting up with your friends, dancing with your date, and taking the “prom picture” were all parts of the prom night. Oh yeah, and the favors too. Usually a glass snifter etched with the prom theme and the date. The highlight was seeing who would be named the prom king and queen.
After the prom, some headed to Zippy’s to hang out, some headed to see the SOS or the Alii’s play at the Outrigger showroom, some went to the Kahala Hilton to walk around and see the dolphins, and some went to secret spots to park - and stuff.
To this day, whenever I smell pikake or maile, it reminds me of proms. Dressed up with the ruffle shirt, cumber bun, bow tie, the pants with the satin stripe down the side that matched the satin lapels on the fancy coat. Talk about stylin’
What do you remember about your prom? Can you recall the theme or the prom song? Where it was held - ballroom or school gym? If you’re brave enough, tell us who you went to the prom with.
Kuhio Grill or KG’s - before my time, but I recall my older brother talking about it. And I’ve seen it on those Hawaii Nostalgia T-shirts. I guess Side Street Inn would be the modern day equivalent?
Takeba’s - another one before my time that my brother used to talk about about. Was it a hostess bar?
Stop Lite - Everyone knows about Stop Lite. Even my friend’s brother-in-law who was visiting from Maui asked us to take him to Stop Lite. We sat right up front on bolohead row - under the acrylic swing.
Arirang - The happening place on Kaheka St. before the star attraction moved to Stop Lite. Something to do with smoking a cigarette and the roll of quarters trick. What was her name?
Tokiwa - On Nuuanu across Hosoi mortuary. I’ve never been there but I remember my friend used to wear a bowling shirt back in the 70’s with Tokiwa on the back. I used to see the bar all the time until only recently it changed name (and owner, I assume).
Blue Goose - My college instructor used to hang out at this place and used to invite us to go there and hang out. It was in Puck’s Alley. We went there once to check it out. It was a rat hole.
Chucks Manoa - My other brother used to take his girlfriend there to listen to George Street play.
Chico’s Pizza - I remember my friend and his girlfriend going to Chico’s and having a pizza AND fried chicken along with their pitcher of beer. Then both of them falling asleep in the car right in the Chico’s parking lot.
What old watering holes did you used to visit to whet your whistle?
What was her name?
