Island ‘Grace’
for First LadyMOST people think of an old spiritual when they hear the words, "Amazing Grace." But fans of local poet Kathleen Norris know it as the title of a book of poetry she has written and for which she's been widely praised. Norris, daughter of Honolulu trumpet playing jazzman John Norris, recently was invited to the White House where she met with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and had her photo taken with her. Hillary penned a personal note: "To Kathleen Norris with appreciation for your 'Amazing Grace' and the gifts you share." Papa John says the two "chatted for an hour before some guy named Bill came in and interrupted them." Never has the First Lady been more in need of "Amazing Grace" than now ...
SHE may not have won the Mrs. America pageant in Las Vegas last week, but Jenny Souza, who holds the Mrs. Hawaii title, had to impress the judges. An accomplished gymnast who attended BYU on an athletic scholarship, Souza also teaches gymnastics at a YWCA when she can find time between caring for two children and husband Michael. Oh yes, did I mention she also has a biochemistry degree? ... Another bright woman making national news is Paula Sussex, owner of the six Sandal Tree stores and three coffee kiosks. She's pictured and singled out as "Millionaire of the Month" in the September issue of Money magazine. According to Money, Sussex has politics on her mind next, and wants to "start working on state economic development issues." ...
Golden Oldies
THIS year marks the 50th anniversary of Richardson Theater at Fort Shafter, home of Army Community Theater. It was built in 1948 for the munificent sum of $880,000, but would cost about $30 million to replace in today's economy. To mark the occasion, ACT is staging the first Broadway musical there that's under 25 years old, and at 23, "A Chorus Line" just makes the cut. It opens on Sept. 3 and is dedicated to the late Tommy Aguilar, whom I had the good fortune to see in the pivotal role of Paul San Marco when it opened in 1976 in London. Since then, he directed many shows of his own in Honolulu, and was invaluable with the choreography and staging of "Mame," when I directed it for ACT in 1991. He died two years later. One major difference between this production of "A Chorus Line" and the touring company that played the Blaisdell Concert Hall -- the top ticket at Richardson is $15. Incidentally, the historic Richardson Theater opened in '48 with Irving Berlin and Ronald Reagan in the final performances of "This is the Army." A tough act to follow ...
Don't leave home
LOCALITES David and Marianne Stubenberg are in the midst of a yearlong adventure, seeing America. But sometimes you can get more adventure than you bargained for. The two had set up residence at Incline Village, Nev., but then began their cross-country journey. They lived off their VISA card at places like the Historic Nevada Hotel and Gambling Casino in Ely, Nev., and small gas stations, hotels and restaurants across the country. VISA's fraud department flagged the card because a computer thought it had been stolen, especially since their phones had been disconnected. But what really tipped VISA off, the Stubenbergs were told, wasn't just the unlikely places where the card was used, but the small dollar amounts uncharacter for the account. "Can you imagine?" asks the wide-eyed Marianne, "a computer program that sophisticated -- and nosy?" Why yes, as a matter of fact ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
His columns run Monday through Friday.Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.