Don't 'waste' money on Natatorium swimming pool
The Natatorium fell into disrepair because it was not needed. We can have a war memorial there by preserving the arch with a plaque.We do not need a swimming pool there, with potential liability to the city for persons injured at the pool.
We do not need huge costs for a building, for maintenance and for staffing the building.
If the city has this money, let's spend it on crime prevention. We need open space at the Natatorium.
Mark Terry
Of course Natatorium is worth salvaging
Humor columnists have a great advantage over ordinary writers -- they don't have to be concerned about the facts if the punchline gets a laugh.In this regard, Charles Memminger's Dec. 8 Honolulu Lite column concerning the Natatorium is truly laughable.
The cost of restoring the arch and the pool is only fractionally more than restoring the arch and destroying the pool. As for Kaimana Beach, it didn't exist before the Natatorium was built.
The structure acts as a groin holding in the sand. Destroying the pool would likely result in the construction of a new groin or the eventual washing away of the existing beach.
The Natatorium is on the national and local registers of historic places. Knocking it down might not be a simple matter. Besides, the Hawaii Supreme Court has already ruled that the pool and arch are not separable as a monument, a decision which would have to be reversed.
Finally, I would like to quote the late Duke Kahanamoku the day after the Outrigger Canoe Club, featuring Buster Crabbe, struggled for national recognition against a Chicago swim club led by Johnny Weismuller.
Said Kahanamoku, "I did not believe that I could ever get a thrill out of a swimming meet after all I had seen and had competed in, but last night, I certainly had the thrill of my life -- the crowd. I will never forget it. The intense interest shown by everybody, the color, that wonderful Waikiki pool. I had to rub my eyes and pinch myself to see if it were not all a dream."
James V. Hall
Did Missouri association donate wreath this year?
Over the past three score plus 10 years, my eyesight has declined to the state of required prescription eyeglasses. Even then, there are occasions when glasses are not sufficient.Perhaps that is the reason I failed to see the memorial wreath donated by the Missouri Memorial Association at the Arizona Memorial on Dec. 7.
My eyesight may be faulty but my memory isn't. Is this not the association, along with its elite military advisory council, that espouses a profound, unfathomed "guardianship" that protects the solemnity, memory and dignity of the ship and the occasion?
Perhaps, eventually, the "advisory" Navy brass will even include the deceased Marines in their tribute to those who perished and are entombed within this hallowed shrine.
They did donate a memorial wreath, didn't they?
Donald Barnhart
First Sergeant
U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)
Mahalo, Mr. Mayor, for lighting up the holidays
According to your holiday poll, 53 percent of respondents make Honolulu City Lights part of their holiday observance. I think most of them were down at City Hall on opening night. A lot of people were there enjoying the parade, trees and lights.But everyone was in great spirits. I'm glad the city brought back Christmas to downtown. It's my favorite place to be during the holiday. We drive the lighted route over and over again.
I think we should all let Mayor Harris know how much we appreciate all that his employees do to make Christmas in Honolulu so special.
Elising Roxas-Tunglen
Waipahu
Huangs keep on giving well after their deaths
We appreciated Diane Chang's retelling of the story of local-born actress Soo Yong Huang and her husband, Chun Ku (Changing Hawaii, Dec. 1). The Huangs' legacy continues even further than was shared.The Huang Foundation, established through their will, contributed not only $550,000 to the University of Hawaii, but $154,000 to the United Church of Christ on Judd Street, where the Huangs were loyal and active members until their deaths.
The Huangs touched many in our congregation, and their nieces, Aileen Wong Ho and Myrtle Hee, are prominent members.
Thanks to their continuing legacy, the entire community will benefit from the money available for new missions, a scholarship for ministerial students, and an annual lecture series, all in their loving name.
Alison Leong
Moderator
United Church of Christ
NASA leader spaced out with patronizing remark
In your Dec. 5 issue, in the Associated Press article, "Columbia is home; questions come next," NASA administrator Daniel Goldin is quoted as saying, "The astronauts went out and did what Americans do -- tough stuff. And we even had a Japanese help us."If Goldin really made this patronizing ethnic remark, which one might call "stupid," you would have done the world a service by omitting it from the quote.
Donald P. Gowing
HSTA should get an A for voting down gaming
The Hawaii State Teachers Association vote against gambling was a great shot across the bow of the 1998 Legislature. This volley may be the momentum needed to make sure that gambling is not used as a substitute for real economic development and revitalization of our economy.I'm not one for commending big government unions, but Hawaii's teachers have demonstrated just how much they really care for their students and how teaching high ethics and hard work rather than a "get rich quick" attitude will be the foundation for Hawaii's future economy.
Rep. Gene Ward
Member, House Finance Committee
Bishop Estate Archive
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