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December 28, 2005 - MidWeek The Islander

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In last week’s Islander, Edna Shiroma told of her civilian father’s death from enemy fire at the Kaneohe base on Dec. 7, 1941 and how she’d never been to a commemorative ceremony at the Marine base. Rick Kirby of the base protocol office read it and called her right away. “The General wants to invite her,” explained the retired Marine, “and next year we’ll have a larger crowd, too, because the mainland Kaneohe Klippers (Dec. 7 survivors from the base) will be there” ...

Known for his vivid, spiritual paintings, Kailua artist Thomas Deir was determined to put Christ back into Christmas, so on Dec. 24 (referred to as Christmas Eve back in the day) he gave away free signed prints of his “Christ of the Deep” poster at Ala Moana Center’s Tradewinds Gallery: “It’s my way of walking the talk and showing appreciation and respect,” Tom explains. Happy End of Year Holidays, Tom ...

Zoe the dog

Meet Zoe the golden retriever and almost-certified service dog. She and her mistress, Tiffany Hamaguchi, met in an Indiana prison where Zoe was born and Tiffany was interning in occupational therapy. The pair now work together at Hawaii State Hospital where Tiffany has big plans for the dog in animal-assisted therapy with patients. Zoe has a few rigorous tests to pass first, but she’s already performed well as a listener in story-reading sessions ... Start saving now. Ben Parker School will gladly take your HI-5 cans and bottles from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jan. 7. Proceeds will be transformed into books, supplies and excursion fees for Mrs. Fung‘s sixth-graders ... While manning the Kailua Information Center recently, volunteer Bill Muench logged chats with dozens of people from all over the world before lunchtime. “They’re mostly day-trippers to Kailua who want to know about hiking and water sports,” Bill says - not all that Waikiki stuff. And he’s glad to help ... Chiyo Churchill is looking for a few good homes: “It takes a special family to open their home to help a pregnant teenager,” Chiyo says from the Mary Jane Program office in Kailua. The MJ client is a girl who needs temporary foster care and the chance for a healthy start as a mother with her child (261-9776) ... Kailua native Kelly Luscomb has joined the Army’s natural resources staff at Pohakuloa Training Center as a cultural resource specialist ... Deborah Kim says the Hawaii State Federal Credit Union delivered more than a ton of food to 185 homebound senior citizens in Kaneohe, Kakaako and Pearl City last week ...

Lindsey Mau

Kaneohe’s Lindsey Mau will vie with eight others for the 2006 Narcissus Queen crown next month. A Chaminade student, Lindsey works at Haleiwa Joe’s and helps coordinate weddings at Haiku Gardens next door. Weddings do change lives, but for Lindsey, her life-changing moment came when she met and talked with Pope John Paul II in the Rome airport by chance more than 10 years ago ... A healthy start for 2006: 24-Hour Fitness offers free workout days - this Friday through Sunday only - at all of its locations ... If you’ll be on Maui Friday, my new son-in-law Tyrone Wells is singing with Elina Wells (aka Erin Chang of Ahuimanu) and local groups from 6 to 9 p.m. in Wailuku’s historic Iao Theatre. Producer is Castle grad Brad Falcon of Falcons Nest Productions (808-280-1179) ... Connor Norris won the grand prize in the Kaneohe Lions Club “Peace Without Borders” poster contest at King Intermediate School. Next step, statewide competition ...

Kaneohe’s Baghdad MP, Vinnie Gonzales, threw a Christmas barbecue with his buddies at Camp Victory after they made it through the Iraqi elections. They cooked up all the treats from their Hawaii care packages: “Steaks, crab legs, lobster tails, Kielbasa sausage, REAL rice and of course furikaki on the rice” ... Kaneohe Bay Shopping Center had $200 gift certificates for Kaneohe’s Johanna Saavedra (Longs) and Waimanalo’s Marlene Kuraoka (Safeway) - the luckiest of 1,000 entries in the merchants’ first Holiday Giveaway