Welcome to Class Notes. Find out what your fellow alumni are up to these days. Share your news and events by submitting a note.
Ian Chu (1980) writes, "Ian Chu (MBA, 1980) was elected to the Court of the University of Hong Kong, which is the supreme governing body of the Univeristy. He joined the Standing Committee of the University of Hong Kong Convocation in 2007 and was elected to the Court by its members. "  Submitted on Dec 10 2009. Joy (Nishie) Hansen (1992) Joy (Nishie) Hansen (1992) and Paul Hansen are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Jack William Tomio. He was born on November 5, 2009 in Pineville, NC, and weighed 7 lb., 6 oz.. Submitted on Dec 4 2009. Mona Hirata (2003) Mona L. Hirata (2003), President and Co-Founder of Weddings by Grace and Mona, recently accepted a new venture teaching the first wedding planning certification course offered at Kapiolani Community College, in collaboration with the Wedding Planning Institute. The course began on Thursday, September 24, 2009 with nineteen students enrolled. Mona hopes to give these students a practical perspective by sharing her own experiences as a wedding planner and by bringing in guest speakers from vendors within the wedding industry. Another public speaking opportunity arose when Jim Richardson, a professor at the Shidler College of Business, invited Mona to speak at his Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship class as a featured entrepreneur. Submitted on Oct 23 2009. Candes Gentry (1998) New Musical Release by Candes Meijide Gentry, CMG Records Candes is very excited about the release of her third album. With over 35 songs available via digital download on sites such as iTunes, Amazon, eMusic & the likes, Candes has decided to ring in the Holidays with a promotional tour to celebrate and promote her first Holiday Album. Christmas Will Find Us Wherever We Are consists of 12 songs, 3 of which are original songs that speak of Christmas in the Islands: "Christmas Will Find Us Wherever We Are" by Ron Creager & Tina Tessina; "A Christmas Love Song" by Kristin Zambucka, & "Aloha, The Spirit of Christmas" by Randy Hongo. You will find several Hawaiian Christmas favorites as well as some surprising twists on all time Holiday classics. Featured on the album is Grammy Award winning slack key guitarist, Jeff Peterson. Jeff delights listeners with his ukulele, classical guitar, steel string guitar and tenor ukulele. He brings an Island feel to the CD that is unparalleled and provides a beautiful cloud on which Candes' voice soars. Dr. Laurence Paxton, chairperson of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Department of Music, demonstrates his multi-faceted musical prowess through exquisite accompaniment, assisting with song selection, and helping me realize my vision for this project. Once again Candes has chosen to record and produce her album at Rendez-Vous Recording under the musical guidance and genius of Pierre Grill. Condesa Azria Nora Meijide-Gentry of Atelier 808 captures the essence of Candes' vision in her incredible photography. Joey Caldarone is featured in a rendition of "Baby It's Cold Outside," and Candes' niece and nephew, Tasia and Kaimana, make their recording debut in a children's chorus on one of Hawai'i's all time Christmas favorites, Alex Anderson's "Mele Kalikimaka." Candes hopes that this CD will serve as a reminder that it's not the things you do at Christmas time, but the Christmas things you do all year through. The Secret of Christmas "Gentry and Grill do a beautiful job. Gentry sings these standards with skill and sincerity. Grill's arrangements are uncluttered and use a piano as the primary instrument. Joey Caldarone, another long time friend, joins Gentry for a stirring rendition of the title song." John Berger, Star-Bulletin 2009 CMG Records WWW.CANDESCD.COM info@candescd.com Submitted on Oct 8 2009. Kamyau Chan (1981) Kamyau Chan (1981) writes, "After I finished my PhD in theological studies in 2002, I was able to publish the book, 'Kiss God's Son: From the Structure of the Psalms to Its Message,' which came out in May 2009. It's in Chinese and published by Tien Dao Publishing Company in Hong Kong." Submitted on Oct 8 2009. Lee (Chen) Chen-Norman (1998) Lee Chen (MFA ' 98 Theatre) After 9-year absence on stage due to raising her two sons (now 8 & 5) as well being a full-time ESL instructor, Lee returned to acting as the lead and successfully portrayed a 70- and 100-year-old character in the Chinese language play, "SpringSummerAutumnWinter" written by the famous Taiwanese playwright May Chang. The play is about a woman's life from 14 years old to 100 years old, covering about 100 years of Chinese history. It was Lee's first Chinese language play in the U.S. Lee also played lead character in two short films during the summer. Submitted on Oct 2 2009. Robert Hobbs (1983) Robert Hobbs (1983) writes, "Currently a visual information specialist in the Office of Communications, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I've been there since 1998, with a three year hiatus in Los Angeles, where I was a background actor on the TV show 'ER,' a computer salesman in Woodland Hills and an architectural visualization artist for the Broquard Studio in Beverly Hills. My second book came out in May: "Dark Art: Drawing and Painting Witches & Their Worlds" by David & Charles Ltd. Publishing. Currently working on several publishing projects and a new series of paintings." Submitted on Sep 25 2009. Kamyau Chan (1981) Kamyau Chan (1981) writes, "After I finished my PhD in theological studies in 2002, I was able to publish the book, 'Kiss God's Son: From the Structure of the Psalms to Its Structure,' which came out in May 2009. It's in Chinese and published by Tien Dao Publishing Company in Hong Kong." Submitted on Sep 21 2009. Lani (Kwon) Meilgaard (1991) Lani (Kwon) Meilgaard (BA, English, 1991) and Justin Meilgaard are proud to announce the birth of their baby boy, Noa Christian Meilgaard. He was born on June 11, 2009, in Ann Arbor, MI, and weighed 8 lb., 6 oz. Submitted on Jul 29 2009. Peach ONeill (2009) Peach ONeill (2009) has been accepted to the Mythological Studies MA/PhD program at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpinteria, Calif. Her studies begin this fall, and include comparative religion and in-depth Jungian psychology. Submitted on Jul 22 2009. > Read all Class Notes
Ian Chu (1980) writes, "Ian Chu (MBA, 1980) was elected to the Court of the University of Hong Kong, which is the supreme governing body of the Univeristy. He joined the Standing Committee of the University of Hong Kong Convocation in 2007 and was elected to the Court by its members. " Submitted on Dec 10 2009. Mona Hirata (2003) Mona L. Hirata (2003), President and Co-Founder of Weddings by Grace and Mona, recently accepted a new venture teaching the first wedding planning certification course offered at Kapiolani Community College, in collaboration with the Wedding Planning Institute. The course began on Thursday, September 24, 2009 with nineteen students enrolled. Mona hopes to give these students a practical perspective by sharing her own experiences as a wedding planner and by bringing in guest speakers from vendors within the wedding industry. Another public speaking opportunity arose when Jim Richardson, a professor at the Shidler College of Business, invited Mona to speak at his Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship class as a featured entrepreneur. Submitted on Oct 23 2009. > Read more Professional Achievements
Joy (Nishie) Hansen (1992) and Paul Hansen are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Jack William Tomio. He was born on November 5, 2009 in Pineville, NC, and weighed 7 lb., 6 oz.. Submitted on Dec 4 2009. Lani (Kwon) Meilgaard (1991) Lani (Kwon) Meilgaard (BA, English, 1991) and Justin Meilgaard are proud to announce the birth of their baby boy, Noa Christian Meilgaard. He was born on June 11, 2009, in Ann Arbor, MI, and weighed 8 lb., 6 oz. Submitted on Jul 29 2009. > Read more Marriages and family news
Storrs Denny Smith (BSEE '67) writes, "The KAPPA IOTA fraternity prevalent in the 1950s-1970s is planning a reunion in early October 2007. Please contact Steve Foytich at foytichs001@hawaii.rr.com" Submitted on May 14 2007. Gwynne Osaki (1993) Gwynne Osaki (1993) writes, "Dr. Lori-Anne Tungpalan-Grondolsky (BS 1994, MD 2000) and her husband Jon Grondolsky baptized their son, Jon Joseph Grondolsky, Jr., on July 16, 2006, in Lima, Ohio, where Lori-Anne is a praciticing anesthesiologist. Jon, Jr., and his almost five-year-old sister, Anna Louise, are the grandchildren of Mr. Ciriaco Tungpalan (BA 1968) and Mrs. Eloise Tungpalan, nee Yamashita, (BA 1970, MPA 2000)." Submitted on Jul 20 2006. > Read more Friends and reunions
Serette Kaminski (2004) has been accepted into the Peace Corps. During the first three months of her service, she will live with a host family in Niger, Africa, near the capital of Niaamey, to become fully immersed in the country's language and culture. Submitted on Oct 16 2007. Jay Shidler (1968) Jay Shidler (1968) donated an additional $1 million to the University of Hawai'i's Shidler College of Business for more renovations. Submitted on Oct 15 2007. > Read more Service to your community
Peach ONeill (2009) has been accepted to the Mythological Studies MA/PhD program at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpinteria, Calif. Her studies begin this fall, and include comparative religion and in-depth Jungian psychology. Submitted on Jul 22 2009. Monte Watanabe (2007) Monte Watanabe (2007) has been named as an honorable mention recipient for the 2006-2007 Eta Kappa Nu Alton B. Zerby and Carl T. Koerner Outstanding Electrical or Computer Engineering Student Award. The selection identifies him as one of the three most outstanding electrical or computer engineering students in the nation. As an undergraduate, Watanabe co-authored several publications, including a forthcoming book chapter. He also played a major role on the steering committee of the 2007 International Microwave Symposium, Hawai'i's largest conference this year. Submitted on Oct 16 2007. > Read more Educational news
Fred Chapman (AAT '76 Honolulu; BS '78 Manoa) recently retired from the U.S. Army on Feb. 11, 2008, and the State of South Carolina on June 27, 2008. Future plans include developing a Pre-Bucket List, and consulting as Chapman Counseling and Training Services. Submitted on Jul 6 2008. Sandra (Tsukiyama) De Oliveira (1975) Sandra (Tsukiyama) De Oliveira (1975) and her group, Jazz Braz, presented musical offerings from Brazil in a concert titled "Remembering Rio" at Hawai'i Public Radio's Atherton Performing Arts Studio. Submitted on Oct 15 2007. > Read more General
Dorothy Hurd-Buxton (1932) died on Aug. 20 at Alameda Hospital. She was a loved neighbor, an inveterate walker, and although an unassuming and quiet person, an expert on the history of the East Bay. She was also a person of both kind and quick wit, a world traveler, a lover of cats and birds and an advocate for organizations working to preserve native environments. Submitted on Oct 16 2007. Ah (Leong) Ku (1933) Ah Ku (1933), a pioneering Asian-American journalist and longtime media champion, died Aug. 6, 2007. During World War II, she became the first Asian-American reporter for The Associated Press and was also the first Asian-American female writer to work for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Submitted on Oct 16 2007. > Read more In Memoriam
alumnihelp@uhf.hawaii.edu. |
