“We all makule!” said Norman Akita, a member of the Waimea High School Class of 1952 on Wednesday when a group of members of the Waimea High School Classes of 1950 through 1955 got together for lunch at the Koloa Neighborhood Center.
“We were all teenagers once.”
The reunion offered people bound by those classes an opportunity to get reacquainted and reminisce, many not seeing each other for long periods of time.
“There’s not too many of us remaining,” said Dick Ueoka, Waimea High School Class of 1952, one of the coordinators of the get-together that included an alumnus of Kapa‘a High School from the same era. “Many of the classmates have medical issues, can’t drive, or other things that don’t allow us to get together.”
A group of ladies from Honolulu said they made a special day trip so they could bring their mother to the get-together. They dropped their mother to the security of the group before adjourning to their own business before returning to pick up mom.
“When is the next high school football game?” Ueoka asked. “Is this a night game? I can’t very well make it because of the limited number of disabled parking spaces, and because of my age I can only stay for a short while. Plus, I don’t like the new way of getting tickets. I don’t know how to do it. The last game, I got my tickets from Kapa‘a High School Coach Mike Tresler.”
That started conversation that centered around problems and issues people aging in place face.
“My sister, Millie Wellington, is coming,” said Jeannie Odo, Waimea High School Class of 1953. “And so is Bobby Waterhouse. But Millie couldn’t find her keys, so she’s coming late.”
Odo said it’s been 72 years since the Class of 1950 graduated.
Florentina Moreno of the WHS Class of 1954 had other issues.
“I can’t stand,” Moreno said. “But that’s OK. I brought my own chair. I have to sit.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
