Many seniors, especially those who live alone, might not realize that there are items they should have in their hurricane emergency kit other than Spam, baked beans and Vienna sausage. June marks the beginning of the six-month-long hurricane season and reminders about being prepared are all over the media.
The messages always emphasize the need for the basics:
◆ drinking water
◆ non-perishable food
◆ toiletries, batteries
◆ your prescription medicines
But those things may not be enough to meet seniors’ needs.
Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency say to remember four things:
How will you receive alerts and warnings?
What is your shelter plan?
What’s your evacuation route?
And what is your family communication plan?
These four FEMA questions bring to mind specific steps you might not have thought of:
▲ NOAA weather alerts. In addition to a portable AM/FM radio, consider getting one that picks up NOAA weather alerts.
▲ FEMA app. Install the FEMA app on your smartphone and acquaint yourself with its navigation. Additionally, make sure emergency alerts are enabled on your phone.
▲ Phone text. Know how to text on your phone. Even if the voice network goes out, texting may still be an option because it requires less bandwidth and transmits more easily. But that won’t matter if you don’t know how to text!
▲ Support network. Make a list of your support network — people who can help you out in the event of an emergency. Does someone have an extra key to your home?
▲ Hard copy list of contacts. Have your most important contact names and numbers written on real paper and stored in plastic zip-lock bags. Remember — when the power goes out, your phone won’t last long and when it dies, so does any chance of reaching your contacts.
▲ Medical alternatives. If you have medical issues that require regular doctor’s visits, find out what your doctor’s plan is should his office become inaccessible. Where’s the nearest alternative?
▲ Prescription drug supply. For required regular doses of prescription drugs like insulin shots, consult with your doctor for an extra supply.
▲ Pet emergency kit. Prepare an emergency kit just for your pet, including food, bedding and treats. But have you thought to include drinking water? Your pet will get thirsty, too.
▲ Inventory valuable possessions. Make sure you have a complete and up-to-date inventory of your home and your valuable possessions for insurance purposes. Photograph as much as you can for documentation and store the photos or digital output (for example, USB stick or DVD) in your zip-lock bag.
▲ Automatic Deposit. If you aren’t doing it already, have your benefit checks–pensions, social security, etc.— deposited directly into your bank account. If you have to relocate, your monthly check may have no idea where you’ve gone.
▲ Cash. Got some cash and coins? There’s always a possibility ATMs won’t be working.
Hawai‘i has had its share of disastrous hurricanes and evacuations, but it’s been over 15 years since the last one and it’s important to remember that the threat is always looming.
One very useful website to help you plan for any emergency is www.ready.gov/make-a-plan There, you will find downloadable documents that will guide you each step of the way as you prepare a plan for your own particular situation.
For further information, go to the websites of FEMA, the American Red Cross, NOAA, and Hawai‘i state and local Civil Defense. Links to these agencies and their respective emergency preparedness information are available below with additional ones on our website, www.Generations808.com. Click on Emergency Preparedness.
Many seniors, especially those who live alone, might not realize that there are items they should have in their hurricane emergency kit other than Spam, baked beans and Vienna sausage. June marks the beginning of the six-month-long hurricane season and reminders about being prepared are all over the media.
Telephone scams have been around for years, even before the birth of the internet, and they are just as dangerous as their online counterparts. Because modern telephone networks use digital technology, it is easy for cybercriminals to manipulate what appears in the Caller ID to trick you into thinking you are receiving a call from a trusted source. This tactic is called “spoofing.”
Listen for these red flags:
◆ A sense of urgency. The caller wants you to act immediately or something bad will happen.
◆ The caller advises payments be made using gift cards or prepaid debit card.
◆ You are asked to download and install programs onto your computer to fix the “problems” the caller claims your computer has.
Some Safety tips:
◆ Do not provide any personal or bank information to the caller or confirm any information.
◆ Do not respond to any voice messages to contact a telephone number the caller provided without checking first by calling the customer service number on the company or government website.
◆ Do not download any programs the caller says you need, or confirm your computer’s type.
Telephone scams have been around for years, even before the birth of the internet, and they are just as dangerous as their online counterparts. Because modern telephone networks use digital technology, it is easy for cybercriminals to manipulate what appears in the Caller ID to trick you into thinking you are receiving a call from…
At Common Cause Hawaii, we believe that the more people who participate in civic engagement, the more representative our democracy. Participation can come in the form of service, or testifying on an important issue, but the most important way to get involved is through voting. As the state with the lowest voter turnout, we need to make our elections more accessible, convenient, and secure so that specific needs are given more attention by public officials; needs like producing more affordable housing, securing better healthcare options for kūpuna, and investing in high quality education to benefit our keiki.
Two commonsense election modernizations that could add such an element of convenience are Automatic Voter Registration and Vote by Mail. One is a small technical change to update our opt-in system to an opt-out one, and the other a logical expansion of absentee voting which allows people to vote in the privacy of their own home if they wish. Together these practices can cut out the cost of provisional ballots, sending ballots to the wrong addresses, and allow voters ample time to fully vet candidates and the issues by offering the ballot to voters in advance of Election Day. Both fit into voters’ routines without altering long-standing traditions like voting in person.
Automatic Voter Registration registers eligible citizens to vote anytime they sign up for or renew their driver’s license or state ID unless they opt out. Under Vote by Mail, these same eligible voters receive a ballot at their current address.
With Vote by Mail, Hawai‘i will take steps to increase turnout, improve voter education, and combat fraud. More than half of those who voted in the 2014 and 2016 elections in Hawai‘i did so via absentee ballot, with more votes cast before Election Day proving we are already familiar with both the efficiencies and required precautions of this method. In Oregon where they now vote entirely by mail, election officials have found no indication of increased fraud or undue influence.
Hawai‘i deserves a balanced democracy and constituencies that represent our true demographics to include those who are home bound, voters from rural areas, as well as voters of varying incomes and diverse ethnic backgrounds. Hawai‘i has been a leader in voting reform with the implementation of online voter registration and more recently, same day voter registration. We should maintain this momentum and continue to reduce barriers to voting so we can engage all eligible citizens in the political process. Your vote is one of the most direct ways to build a better Hawai‘i for the generations to come.
At Common Cause Hawaii, we believe that the more people who participate in civic engagement, the more representative our democracy. Participation can come in the form of service, or testifying on an important issue, but the most important way to get involved is through voting.
Giving back. That’s the theme and the name of a special — and talented — seniors group who entertain other seniors as a way of giving enjoyment back to their community.
Project Giving Back is a group of 36 singers, ranging in age from 60 to 87, who are now in their 8th year of performing. Wayne Uejo is the founder and administrator of the group, overseeing the singers and coordinating the concert schedule at venues across O‘ahu.
Performances include hit songs from the ’50s through the ’80s, with some Hawaiian and Japanese tunes included in the mix. Uejo says the audiences love everything, but especially those old tunes that really bring back happy memories from a time when life was fun and simple. “Sukiyaki” by Kyu Sakamoto, and the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” are audience favorites.
Project Giving Back is currently not accepting new singers, but Uejo strongly encourages other like-minded individuals from O‘ahu or the Neighbor Islands to start their own group. He says there is always a need to give back to the senior community.
If you are interested in having Project Giving Back perform at your location for any occasion, contact Wayne Uejo.
PROJECT GIVING BACK
2018 HONOLULU PERFORMANCES
Saturdays at 9am
THE PLAZA
1280 Moanalualani Place
June 9
July 14
August 11
September 8
October 6
November 3
December 1
KUAKINI AUDITORIUM
347 N Kuakini St.
June 23
July 28
August 18
September 22
October 20
November 17
December 8
LEAHI HOSPITAL
3675 Kilauea Ave.
August 25
November 24
Seniors giving back to seniors. It’s a fun and rewarding way to spend that free time.
Giving back. That’s the theme and the name of a special — and talented — seniors group who entertain other seniors as a way of giving enjoyment back to their community. Project Giving Back is a group of 36 singers, ranging in age from 60 to 87, who are now in their 8th year of…
It’s hard to believe 22 years have passed since the renovated Hawaii Theatre Center reopened its doors to the public following a decade-long effort by community volunteers to raise $32 million and save the historic structure from the developer’s wrecking ball. Today, volunteerism is still the lifeblood of the Hawaii Theatre Center. The complex encompasses not only the historic Hawaii Theatre building, but also the McLean Block building, the historically significant Pantheon Saloon building and the Austin Block building. HTC also stewards Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park adjacent to the theatre.
Having nearly an entire block of Chinatown to maintain and manage is a challenge not for the faint of heart. First and foremost, our volunteers are critical in ensuring the theatre is staffed with helpful and smiling ushers who not only assist in welcoming patrons to the theatre, but also are trained to assist in any emergencies or evacuations we may be faced with.
Volunteers who are part of our Hawaii Theatre Docent program provide historical tours of the facility, during which guests are treated to a mini-concert on the 1922 Robert Morton pipe organ in the Weinberg Auditorium. Though we currently only have enough docents for monthly, or bi-monthly tours, we hope to recruit additional volunteers for expanded reach into the community.
Another very active volunteer group is our HTC Stars group. This group of community-minded philanthropists help in supporting our fundraising events, HTC membership recruitment at our shows and other work needed by our Membership Services staff.
One of the areas of focus for the coming year will be facilities repair and maintenance. Our hope is to form a group of tradespeople with a little time on their hands to help with minor carpentry, painting, landscaping, and generally completing odd jobs around the facility. Our list of deferred maintenance items is too long to list here, but for an active group of seniors who take pride in their handiwork and would like to remain active by helping to maintain and improve the condition of the entire Hawaii Theatre Center campus, this is a golden opportunity!
For more information on any of our volunteer opportunities, please call to schedule a visit. Amy Bennett, our Director of Donor Services, would appreciate hearing from you at 808-791-1301, or you can email amybennett@hawaiitheatre.com to set up a time for you to visit! E Komo Mai! Join us in preserving our community’s last remaining historic theatre—“The Pride of the Pacific”.
It’s hard to believe 22 years have passed since the renovated Hawaii Theatre Center reopened its doors to the public following a decade-long effort by community volunteers to raise $32 million and save the historic structure from the developer’s wrecking ball. Today, volunteerism is still the lifeblood of the Hawaii Theatre Center.
Were you a high school senior in 1972, singing Alice Cooper’s classic hit, “School’s Out” (for Summer)? Then you may be turning 65 soon and wondering if you need Medicare insurance. Figuring it out on your own may leave you clicking through a lot of scam websites and staring at a mountain of brochures and flyers that arrived in the mail. Medicare was created in 1965 to provide security and peace of mind, not cause you to lose your mind, patience or your money.
These tips will help you keep your cool:
◆ Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or visit their website at www.ssa.gov, at least three months before your 65th birthday to ask them to determine your Medicare eligibility and enrollment dates.
◆ Contact the employee benefits specialist for your own or a spouse’s current or former employer to see if you qualify for retiree medical insurance benefits.
◆ Check with Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 or www.medicare.gov to learn about Medicare premiums, late enrollment penalties and Medicare insurance options available in your county.
The peace of mind that comes with understanding how Medicare works will have you humming a different tune: “Summertime” (and the Living is Easy)!
MEDICARE MOMENT WITH MARTHA
A radio program with Martha Khlopin
KHNR-690AM:
Sat., 2 pm–2:30 pm, Sun., 9:30 am–10 am
Were you a high school senior in 1972, singing Alice Cooper’s classic hit, “School’s Out” (for Summer)? Then you may be turning 65 soon and wondering if you need Medicare insurance. Figuring it out on your own may leave you clicking through a lot of scam websites and staring at a mountain of brochures and…
Older adults typically want to live in their own homes for as long as possible. A 2012 report from AARP showed that only 65 percent of persons aged 60-70 and only 43 percent of those aged 70 and older find it very easy to live independently. Besides making physical environments age-friendly, what needs to happen to enable older adults to safely age in place?
Optimize existing communities
Some communities with high concentrations of older adults were designed from scratch to address their needs. However, most age-dense neighborhoods or apartments/condominiums were not; residents have simply grown older and aged in place. The density of older residents in some could allow economies of scale and also ease the provision of in-home services for providers.
Natural helping networks
The strength of grassroots Aging in Place models or strategies relies on the potential for “natural helping networks” to develop and provide informal support to complement more formal health and social services. Informal support from peers typically entails help with “small services,” such as checking up on a neighbor, initiating a “buddy system,” keeping each other updated on local events, providing companionship, or even developing a volunteer corps of peers to address locally defined needs. Engaging in natural helping networks can transform an older adult from a “passive service recipient” to an active contributor to the wellbeing of neighbors and the community.
Natural support systems
For Aging in Place strategies to flourish, we need to develop ways to foster natural support systems in age-dense neighborhoods and apartments or condominiums, and to develop partnerships among the stakeholders of those settings. Such partnerships would include older residents, their peers, volunteers, family, friends, service providers, and building owners and managers. A number of residential managers of local public housing and condominiums in Hawai‘i are taking important first steps by attending brief workshops on various aspects of aging, thus learning to provide more supportive environments for their residents who are aging in place.
A little extra help is often all that is needed for an older resident to age in place. Aging in Place models advocate the use of local peer networks to provide that extra help, to be supplemented by more extensive formal in-home services as needed. Such a community-based approach could result in an affordable and client-based system to keep older persons in their homes and avoid costly and undesired relocations.
Grassroots social support models
Grassroots social models of support such as the Village Model, Cohousing, and Age-Friendly Cities and Communities represent some of the latest efforts to strengthen social environments to allow older adults to live in their homes for as long as desired.
Older adults typically want to live in their own homes for as long as possible. A 2012 report from AARP showed that only 65 percent of persons aged 60-70 and only 43 percent of those aged 70 and older find it very easy to live independently. Besides making physical environments age-friendly, what needs to happen…
Turning 100 is no small feat, but Mrs. Lenora Cho made it look easy when she officially became a centenarian in 2017. Lenora, a small-town girl from back East, found ways to stay active early on in life: in high school, she played basketball and softball.
Upon graduating high school, Lenora took a beautician course, but joined the Army when she was in her 20s, becoming one of the 140,000 women who served and proved vital to the war efforts.
After another female soldier had to return to the mainland from Hawai‘i when they were en route to Japan, Lenora stayed to do clerical work at Fort Shafter. That is where she met her husband, David Cho, of whom she says with a smile, “He was my boss.” They were married at the Fort Shafter Chapel.
Lenora’s fondest memories are from serving in the military and the time she spent with her husband. Today, she enjoys staying active by doing regular exercise at her home at Arcadia, where she is honored every Veterans Day for her service to our country.
To celebrate her milestone 100th birthday last year, Lenora’s family came from the East Coast and now a blanket of photos from that wonderful occasion hangs proudly in her room.
Turning 100 is no small feat, but Mrs. Lenora Cho made it look easy when she officially became a centenarian in 2017. Lenora, a small-town girl from back East, found ways to stay active early on in life: in high school, she played basketball and softball.
The City and County of Honolulu’s annual “Senior Classic Games” was held on March 22nd at the Hālawa Recreation Center, bringing together 30 senior clubs to compete in four games — Tunnel Vision, Pin Ball, Nine Gates and Peg Ball.
The day was a little cloudy, with soft winds — perfect for 87 teams of seniors ranging in age from 55 to 93 years old. After the competition, score cards were tallied, and medals were presented to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the Senior (55 to 74) and Master (75 and over) divisions. For the past few years, Generations Magazine has paid for all the medals, which are always well received. First-place winners also received a soda-cap ribbon lei made by the founder of the Senior Classic Games, retired Hālawa complex supervisor Herbert Yasuhara.
Punahele Crowell, Sports Specialist for the City and County, said: “I’m just happy that the Senior Classic Games have grown to what it is now. I’m also really pleased that all the seniors came out to get some exercise, have a little friendly competition, and promote wellness. These games are all about them and witnessing how much fun they have and how much they enjoy each other’s company is really something special.”
The next event for senior clubs to compete in is the annual bowling bonanza taking place in October. And throughout the year, clubs are making crafts for their annual Mayor’s Craft and Country Fair in November, which Generations co-sponsors with HMSA. For information on joining a senior club on O‘ahu, please contact Senior Section Coordinator Randy Yasuhara at 808-768-3045.
Above, I am pictured with Herbert and Martha Yasuhara, who never miss this wonderful annual event. The gymnasium was packed with excited active seniors; laughter could be heard from the rafters to the fields. Super fun day!
The day was a little cloudy, with soft winds — perfect for 87 teams of seniors ranging in age from 55 to 93 years old. After the competition, score cards were tallied and medals were presented to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the Senior (55 to 74) and Master (75 and over) divisions. For the…
Dottie Crowell and Galen Narimatsu in the courtyard of historic Kawaiha‘o Hall. The Hall was built in 1908 when the Kawaiha‘o Seminary for girls and the Mills Institute for boys moved to their new joint campus in Mānoa, known as the Mid-Pacific Institute.
Giving back to your high school or college allows you not only to rekindle warm memories of school days but also to help the school prepare today’s students for a successful future.
Generations Magazine celebrates “school pride” with the stories of two retirees who volunteer their time to support their school and its alumni family. If you grew up in Hawai‘i, you probably graduated with some of the same students that you first knew in elementary school. Neighborhoods were small, and families didn’t move around much. Classmates depended on one another like a baseball team: all practice the fundamentals, but in the game, each one has a position to cover. If one does not perform, the whole team suffers unless the others step up and pull out a win. Camaradarie and good performance builds trust in the clutches, and deep friendships that last a lifetime. So students all add to the ultimate success of their class.
As you might guess, expressing school pride is more than wearing school colors at the game, or sharing stories of back in the day. These are great fun, but the foundations, disciplines and fresh horizons shared with us by teachers, administrators and classmates — tools and habits that later served us well as adults — these are the gifts that make us proud to be called alumni.
Cousins Dottie Crowell and Galen Narimatsu graduated from Mid-Pacific Institute in 1955 and are still actively involved with supporting their alma mater. They are still friends with their roommates, classmates and team members. You will see them at home games, cheering on the Owls; on campus, helping on alumni projects; and working with alumni of all ages on student events and projects.
What is the source of this love and admiration for their school? As they tell their stories, you will hear the facts and history of Mid-Pacific Institute in the ’50s, but between the lines you will sense the gratitude Dottie and Galen have. They are not only thankful for what they learned, but for the process. The academic bar was set very high. They were eighth graders away from home for the first time — eager to please their parents, unsure of what the future would hold, and not quite sure if they had “the right stuff” for college.
But they were not alone or without suppport. And what they achieved in high school prepared them for meaningful, successful lives. This is a story retold many times in post-WWII America. May the stories of Dottie and Galen inspire you to remember your school days, look up classmates and express your gratitude and your school pride. We have much for which to be grateful.
Dorothy “Dottie” Crowell, Former Director of Admissions, Mid-Pacific Institute, Class of ’55
Dorothy “Dottie” Crowell
Dottie Crowell graduated from MPI in 1955 and began working there in school administration. No one knows more Mid-Pacific alumni than Dottie because, for nearly 30 years, she and a committee of faculty and deans made decisions about which students would be accepted. She delights in connecting graduates to one another and the school. Graduates are always looking her up. Her devotion and pride for her school can be summed up as a big mahalo to her parents, teachers and principals who encouraged her to pursue higher education.
“I was a naïve, back-country eighth grader in Ha‘ikū, Maui, who had no idea how high school would be. My parents told me I was going to a high school in Honolulu, and I just accepted it. My class of 35 boys and girls grew to 65 by graduation. We were not sophisticated like the students of today, but we were all away from home, so we followed the rules and did well. On weekends, we saw the big city of Honolulu. I still keep up with my roommates, Lenora and Junette. A whole world opened up to us with class members from Japan, Korea and the Marshall Islands. Two years of foreign language were required: French or Latin. Today, MPI also offers Spanish, German, Japanese, Hawaiian and Mandarin Chinese,” says Dottie. But her favorite subjects were Mathematics and English because she liked the teachers.
Today, Dottie Crowell volunteers her time to work on the Alumni Archives Research Project. Growing public interest in family history and her own school pride spurred alumna Tomiko “Koco” Conner to reorganize the MPI school yearbooks and academic records for easy access. Archival records going back as far as 1904 had never found a permanent home while Mid-Pacific campus was growing. Now they are housed in a climate-controlled area, and two days a week, Dottie and alumna volunteer Bobbi Sakamoto manage the collection and fulfill requests for information from the families of graduates. Historical requests come from family members looking for pictures of their parents or ancestors — what activities they enjoyed in high school or who their friends were. “Sometimes it is alumni I knew. Mid-Pacific grads are close.
“While helping others, I discovered that my grandfather’s sister, Reba Hanamaika‘i, from Maui, attended school here in 1904 and 1905 when this campus was Kawaiha‘o Seminary for girls,” says Dottie. Mid-Pacific Institute was founded officially in 1908 when Mills Institute for boys, located in downtown Honolulu, moved to Mānoa. From that time, this small college preparatory boarding school slowly grew from less than 100 students to a current student body of more than 1,500. The boarding program was discontinued in 2003.
As we flipped through the yearbooks, Dottie showed us the roots of her school pride. One was the MPI headmaster who recruited Dottie in 1951, Joseph Bakken. He taught Dottie’s parents English at Maui High School, so her parents trusted his decision that Dottie was college material, and they sent her by boat to high school in Honolulu.
Mid-Pacific Institute was structured to protect and support every student and assure his or her success. An upperclassman “brother” or “sister” helped them get accustomed to dormitory life and the scholastic rigor of a college preparatory curriculum. Dorothy remembers that the dormitory had a live-in nurse, two “dorm mothers” to supervise activities and two senior class “Senators,” who acted as counselors, tutors and representatives of the student government. Teachers lived in cottages next to the dormitories and were available 24/7 in emergencies. The entire school staff encouraged students to become one close family and assist one another.
“One time I was walking to the dining hall, and Mr. Bakken caught up alongside me and asked how I was doing. I told him that I was homesick. He didn’t say anything more to me, but that evening, my aunty from Honolulu showed up at my door because Mr. Bakken had called and asked her to come and see me. The school was that caring for my classmates, and me,” says Dottie.
The MPI mandatory 2.5-hour study hall every evening helped students make the grade; even after study hall, when the lights went out, they continued their studies with flashlights under their blankets. Hard work was a given; everyone was college-bound. Students were only allowed off campus on Saturday and Sunday and were responsible for keeping their dorm rooms clean at all times. If they failed room inspection, they were assigned “penalty work” chores. The discipline of dorm life paid off in later life too.
Today, Dottie is proud to be helping alumni and supporting students. She attends as many “Owls” games as she can, and delights at greeting returning graduates. “We are all one ‘ohana,” says Dottie — with always a fond memory.
Galen Narimatsu, MPI Alumni Association Board Member and Past President, Class of ’55
Galen Narimatsu
Galen Narimatsu also remembers being interviewed by Mr. Bakken. He is Dottie’s cousin, and grew up in Hale‘iwa and Honolulu. The sugar and pineapple plantations were still the main employers in Hawai‘i. After graduating from the ROTC program at Mid-Pacific in 1955, he studied Public Administration at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and worked at Mid-Pacific as a dormitory supervisor. His pay was room and board. He also worked at the university bookstore. After graduating from UH, he began his career as an officer in the United States Army and did two tours in Vietnam. After Galen retired from the military, he started volunteering with the Mid-Pacific Institute Alumni Association, became a board member, and has served five terms as its president. Galen served on the MPI Board of Counselors and, in 2015, won the prestigious Volunteer in Philanthropy Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Aloha Chapter.
Galen remembers being interviewed by Joe Bakken in 1951. “He used to travel around to all the public schools in Hawai‘i interviewing and recruiting good students. I didn’t know who this man was and he was asking touchy-feely questions like ‘What kind of a person are you?’ I must have done OK because he asked my parents to enroll me. My dad was a schoolteacher and had a side business selling silverware to Japanese families in the camps. He especially wanted me to further my education so that I would have opportunities beyond the plantations,” says Galen.
“When I got to Mid-Pacific, I was happy to find that some of my Waialua classmates had been selected too,” says Galen. He was able to room with two of them — another way the school helped freshmen transition to boarding school life. It was a big change from home, where kids were free to swim, fish and play after chores were done. At Mid-Pacific, everything was regimented. Galen says the discipline and restrictions provided structure and a level playing field that helped him succeed.
All Mid-Pacific alums agree that scholastics were at a higher level than the public schools they left. They also regard mandatory study hall as necessary for their academic achievements. Academic discipline is a cornerstone of their attachment to Mid-Pacific and a reason they want to help today’s students be successful. They know how Mid-Pacific prepared them for the real world challenges they faced after graduation. “We learned
academics, teamwork, citizenship and leadership — which helped us succeed in all our endeavors,” says Galen. “And the friendships we made here have lasted the tests of fickle fortune.”
Galen is a great fan of MPI Baseball, and you will often see him in the stands. He was on the baseball team, under Coach Harry Kitamura, but didn’t get to play center field much, “because we had such great players in my time — still do.” Galen also ran the quarter mile for MPI Track Team. School athletics were a source of fun and teamwork. But Galen’s favorite subject was History.
“In my senior year,” says Galen, “I was a Senator. We were strict and it was for the good of the students. We looked out for the younger students and maintained discipline, but we also hooked them up with a tutor when they needed academic help. I saw the military as a good career option. Because of the draft system in the 1950s, every family had someone who served in the military. Dorm life at MPI prepared me for military training too. Serving my country was my way of giving back. It worries me today that the younger generations don’t think about what they are going to give back and young men don’t even consider serving their country.”
The MPI Alumni Association offers graduates many ways to support the school, express their gratitude and demonstrate school pride. “We support community events throughout the year. Tuition only pays for about 80 percent of what it costs the school to educate a student for one year. We try to bridge that gap by raising funds with the annual Chicken Sale and a golf tournament. Graduates love getting together, and all the events are times to share and catch up.
“Every July we hold our annual reunion, called ‘The Pā‘ina,’ and help out at the Ho‘olaule‘a Festival and Graduation. We award grants for student projects, and organize our MPI class reunion, which alternates between California and Las Vegas every other year. Every event, from ball games to fancy affairs makes us proud to be helping the students, the same way we were helped years ago. I guess the best thing about school pride is that it brings all the alumni together. Regardless of how old or young we are, we all share the Mid-Pacific experience and take pride in the successes we achieved with the gifts our teachers, alumni and classmates gave us.”
Generations encourages our readers to reach out to your schools and volunteer or find a program to donate to. Put your school pride to work and help prepare today’s students for success.
Generations Magazine celebrates “school pride” with the stories of two retirees who volunteer their time to support their school and its alumni family. If you grew up in Hawai‘i, you probably graduated with some of the same students that you first knew in elementary school.
Recently, I took my youngest daughter to the Punahou Carnival, where waiting in line for the adult rides she has now graduated to is sometimes 40 minutes. As we were getting close to the front, I noticed four young adults walk several feet in front of us and stand in line. It took me a moment to realize these people were cutting in. I approached and politely informed them where the end of the line was. One of the group replied that they had been standing in line all along. Unsure of myself now, I asked the man in front of me if this were true, to which he replied, “It’s only four people.” I looked back at the group and told them to get in the back of the line. After a moment, they went to some place that wasn’t near me. The man in front of me looked down and didn’t say anything to me or his two kids.
In handling hundreds of elder abuse cases over the years, I have heard excuses being made all the time as to why someone should not be held accountable for bad behavior. For a variety of reasons, people allow wrongdoers and criminals to get away with their actions without incurring any consequences. The excuses range from “it’s not a big deal now” to “I am sure it won’t happen again” to “I don’t want to upset anyone.” Invariably, however, the unchecked misdeeds don’t stop and, in fact, get worse.
The biggest excuse-makers for people behaving badly are parents. Countless times I have seen a mom or dad turn a blind eye to their adult child’s misconduct, only to suffer worse later on. For instance, the father who refused to have his son arrested for stealing $12,000 by forging his name on checks he stole from him. The father convinced himself — without any evidence to support this belief — that the son wouldn’t do it again. Two months later, he called the police. This time he wanted his son arrested for new charges — the son took $20,000 from his aunt, the father’s sister.
Door-to-door con men, who convince a senior that yard work or construction needs to be done, then take an upfront payment and disappear, get away with their crimes multiple times because their victims feel it is only a “minor” crime, or that it is too much hassle to report it to the police. One of the first such con men the Elder Abuse Unit prosecuted was arrested for deceiving six people by claiming he would do tree trimming then disappearing after receiving the money upfront. After his arrest, eight more victims were discovered who initially didn’t want to call the police. When the story made the news, 20 more people called our offices saying they were also victims but never reported their crimes for a variety of reasons.
Crime, like a cancer, doesn’t disappear when it is ignored. It often spreads and becomes more serious in the long run. If someone has committed a wrongdoing against you, hold that person accountable for their actions. It will save you or someone else more suffering in the future.
Recently, I took my youngest daughter to the Punahou Carnival, where waiting in line for the adult rides she has now graduated to is sometimes 40 minutes. As we were getting close to the front, I noticed four young adults walk several feet in front of us and stand in line. It took me a…
As an estate planning attorney, I have the privilege of observing how families decide how to distribute their assets between and among their children. I have come to understand that there are two distinct standards that parents use to determine the gift.
First, there is the standard of meeting needs. As parents, we observe the needs and wants of our children and do our best to meet both. One child might need or want a musical instrument because of their interest in music, and another child may need volleyball shoes as her interest is in volleyball. While the dollar worth of the musical instrument may not match the dollar worth of the volleyball shoes, we meet each child’s needs and wants equally. This standard parent is alive.
It becomes difficult and near impossible to meet needs and wants once the parent dies, as they are no longer around to make those observations. At best, they can make an educated guess based on prior experience. However, situations change dramatically during the course of life, and what one needs or wants today could be entirely different tomorrow. Because of this uncertainty, many parents shift the standard from “needs and wants” to “equal worth” after they die.
Often, parents think of their Last Will and Testament or Living Trust as the last letter to their children, and many children receive these as a statement of how much their parent loves them. And most parents want their children to know that they are loved equally.
As an estate planning attorney, I have the privilege of observing how families decide how to distribute their assets between and among their children. I have come to understand that there are two distinct standards that parents use to determine the gift. First, there is the standard of meeting needs. As parents, we observe the…
Many seniors, especially those who live alone, might not realize that there are items they should have in their hurricane emergency kit other than Spam, baked beans and Vienna sausage. June marks the beginning of the six-month-long hurricane season and reminders about being prepared are all over the media.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
