The McKinley Class of 1977 Reunion Committee would like to thank everyone (150 classmates, spouses and friends) for making the 30th reunion a big success! Here's a recap for those who weren't able to make it:

The committee arrived at about 3 p.m. to set up and encountered two challenges: the parking at Ward Entertainment Complex and the weather. But never fear not even the opening of the latest Harry Potter movie or the slight drizzle could dampen our party.

Kathleen Campbell made sure all the arrangements with Dave and Buster's were going smoothly, while Ed Young provided several things: he took care of the bills, made the name tags (with the old yearbook photos), took all the pictures of the McKinley campus and scanned all the old Pinions that were on display, as well as take the group pictures. He also was in charge of the Web site as well as keeping track of our class data base. (No wonder Ed was reportedly seen dancing on the table).

Guy Inaba helped make arrangements for our mobile music, which was provided by A&W Mobile Music. Stacy Kaneshiro assisted with Nelson Tanabe, who played his guitar and sang for the reunion.

Sharon (Nakata) Viveiros and Sheri (Sonoda) Kim were in charge of the favors and organizing the check-in. (Thanks to Sharon (Domai) Lock, Colleen (Nakato) Lee, Susan (Lee) Yamamoto and Lynne (Horiuchi) Chinen for helping at the check-in). Kalene Shim Sakamoto and Susan Sugitani assisted with the program. Guy and Kalene also were charged with the making of our reunion DVD.

As the skies cleared, Greg Nishioka and Bart Asato began their stint as the emcees for the night. They kept the program to a minimum so everyone could talk story and catch up for some it was 30 years since they had seen each other. But judging from the laughter and chatter heard at the rooftop gathering, the time gap closed quickly.

As the guests arrived, they were greeted by tunes of the 1970s, everything from Kung Fu Fighting to How Deep Is Your Love could be heard throughout the night. Among attendees were alumni from Florida, California, Texas, Oregon, the Big Island, Maui, Guam and even Costa Rica!

Food was served buffet style with a variety of eats, including kung pao sesame noodle salad, blackened chicken pasta, veggies and grilled fajita steak kebabs.

Many agreed the informal atmosphere of Dave and Buster's really added to the night. People were able to walk around and chat, as well as dress comfortably - some even wore shorts! -making it a relaxing time. The view of Ala Moana Park and the sunset were beautiful.

After dinner, Nelson, who now lives in Beaverton, Ore., played tunes from the past including songs made popular by local artists such as Cecilio and Kapono, Kalapana and Olomana as well as a few contemporary tunes.

We also tested the memories of the 40-somethings with a McKinley Class of 1977 super-trivia quiz. Questions included: Who was the senior class football game played against on Oct. 15, 1976? Name one of the favorite pep rally songs that the MHS Band played and Name of the three McKinley Theatre Group productions in 76-77. Prizes were given out to the classmates with the best memories.

There were a lot of donations, monetary and prizes, including Barbara (Ige) Yoshikawa-created gift baskets, restaurant certificates, travel vouchers, CDs and even a Colt Brennan-autographed football, won by Ed Kama Jr. Several donations also came from classmates who weren't able to join us this time.

Also attending were student council adviser Jean Matsuo and class adviser George Maeda, who helped us with the prize giveaways.

And special credit had to be given to classmate Paul Naki, who arrived after 10 p.m., after a flight from Texas. Luckily, the party was still going strong and Paul was able to be a part of it.

Most of the time was spent remembering old times, catching up with events of the past 30 years and renewing friendships. Talk of jobs, adventures, children and grandchildren. And at the end of the night people were already talking about when we could have the next reunion.

Aloha!

30th REUNION
JULY 14, 2007
5:00 pm to 11:00 pm



DAVE & BUSTERS
Ward Entertainment Center
1030 Auahi St., Honolulu (Hawaii)