Waha Nui
East Oahu’s Lee Donohue, retired police chief and short-term City Councilman, has been inducted into the Masters Hall of Fame “in recognition of his devotion and standing in the martial arts community.” Lee’s Kick-Start Karate is a rock of support for our youths … Speaking of martial arts, Jonathan Cruz (Kaiser 2003), a veterinarian technician who practices MMA, represented Fort Leonard Wood in July at the U.S. Army Combatives Championship in Fort Hood, Texas, where more than 300 soldiers fought in hand-to-hand combat for Army post pride … Hawaii Kai Rotary Club presented its 2012 Donald Aus $1,000 scholarships to Mary Fenton, Jeanine Keohokalole and Hannah Taua, all students at Windward Community College … Help Hawaii Kai’s Bike Mom Natalie Iwasa find her navy-blue stumpjumper bicycle with curved handlebars, carrier rack and hookup mount — stolen from City Hall Aug. 15. Call HPD or 396-7721 … Town restaurant chef Ed Kenney had a two-day boot camp in July on Tennessee’s Blackberry Farm, but it’s not what you think. James Beard Foundation invited select chefs from across the country to come discuss policy and change in our food systems … Hawaii Kai’s Christopher Kobayashi, 13, had a busy summer: He played basketball with his OTB club in three AAU tourneys in Las Vegas, flew to Japan for football camp, spent a week at Sendai in Miyagi prefecture (his grandfather’s hometown) to help at shelters and schools, and then found out he was picked to be a Student Ambassador there next summer … He lives in Kalama Valley now, but for much of 1986, musician Ernie Cruz played ukulele on Gypsy Norton‘s Polynesian show tour of the Middle East for princes and other “uber-rich” clientele. People were “friendly, kind and normal,” he recalls, “and the Syrian city of Aleppo was beautiful, but I can’t imagine what it looks like now.” He finds himself talking to the TV during news reports of the crushing carnage happening there. “I’m so glad I went,” he adds, “because it gives me balance while watching the news”
