Tom Moffat, Randy Havre
HAWAII'S four mayors may not agree on all things, but one area in which they think alike is the welcoming of tourists, particularly from Japan. It helps, of course, that the Japanese are comparatively free-spending folks, and they do seem to love visiting Hawaii. Our man in Osaka, Bob Zix, attended a party thrown by our own visitors bureau there and listened to speeches by Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris, Maui's Linda Crockett Lingle, the Big Isle's Steve Yamashiro, and Kauai's Maryanne Kusaka, who wowed the crowd with a well-done hula. Greeting them in Osaka, second stop on a five-city tour, was comedian-turned-governor of Osaka Prefecture Knock Yokoyama (a k a Isamu Yamada). He admitted to being a Hawaii junkie and told Osaka residents in the audience, "Work hard in Japan. Spend it all in Hawaii." Sign up that man! ... Island mayors
stumping in JapanSINCE its inception, the green jacket has symbolized the Master's golf tournament. But now Jim Winpenny suggests that may no longer be appropriate since the victory by Tiger Woods. It has become, he suggests, "a Black-Thai affair." ... This Burd's for You: Burd Patterson, new manager of Compadres Mexican Bar & Grill, is taking a busload of employees and customers to the doubleheader between San Diego and what Patterson calls "that other team." He's a bit partial since supporters of the Padres in San Diego are called Compadres ...
THE April issue of Hawaii Business magazine has a feature on promoter Tom Moffatt that includes many old photos, including one of him with yours truly, sans beard, readying for a basketball game between the K-POI Pounders and the Harlem Globetrotters. The article was written before Moffatt decided to return to his first love, radio. Besides his promotional activities, ranging from Michael Jackson to Gloria Estefan to Kimo, an "ultimate fighter" who takes to the ring tonight at Blaisdell Arena, Moffatt this week began a 6 to 9 a.m. slot on KGMZ 107.9 playing -- what else? -- the oldies. Old K-POI listeners already have found him on the dial and are calling up with the same requests they made 30 years ago ...
WALL Street certainly has its ups and downs, and so too does Randy Havre, president of Honolulu Venture Capital. One of his recent "ups" was being named the Small Business Administration's Financial Services Advocate of the Year. But many of Havre's ups and downs are on various byways and trails as he participates in runs with his Hawaiian Ultra Running Team. He's happy he can wear his HURT shirt again, having run in the Maui Marathon just seven months after reconstructive surgery on his knee. Some people just can't get enough ... The big HURT
WHEN Jay Waller and his parents dined at Matteo's one recent evening, they had no idea it would end up being a lesson in aloha. Waller was the young man who was beaten up last Halloween and remained in a coma at Queen's hospital for nearly a month. He returned to Hawaii with his parents to testify against his attackers. When the family was dining at Matteo's, it turned out that the restaurant's hostess, Stephanie, was a UH intern at Queen's when the incident happened, and she insisted on picking up their drink tab. Then G.M. Russell Druce picked up their dinner check as well. Nice to see aloha in action ...
IT'S never a good thing when your battery goes dead, but that's particularly true if you're in the middle of an electric car race. The all-girls team from Sacred Hearts Academy had entered "Marvin," their electric vehicle, in the Hawaiian Electric Marathon and they were leading the race when a power loss forced driver Jennifer McCartney into the pits. By the time Marvin was reenergized and back on the track, the best the girls could do was come in sixth. Far from being discouraged, however, the Sacred Hearts gang is planning for next year. Their slogan, which should win some award: "Look out testosterone -- here comes estrogen." ... Where's that Energizer Bunny?
Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.