Alumni Weekend SUCCESSFUL for the Class of 1976!!! 40th Year reunion!!!

Wes Porter, question and answer session in the Monarch Room.

Wes Porter, question and answer session in the Monarch Room.

First off, mahalo to all the committee members of this class for arranging your 40th Alumni festivities. Dr. Kerry Ishihara, Lester Higa, Aaron Correia, Bill Rodrigues, Duane Suzuki, John Souza and Ethan Hottendorf. Sorry if I did not mention anyone else.

The reunion started off on November 10 at the M Clubs annual golf tournament, in which members of the Class of 1976 played at Pearl Country Club. On Veterans Day, November 11, attendees came back to their alma mater at Damien Memorial School. Approximately 45-50 classmates and some of their ohana attended. Albert Cabatingan '71 and his crew prepared all the food and soft drinks for this evening. It was excellent!!! Damien President and CEO Wes Porter thanked the Class of 1976 gave an informative talk about the positive direction our campus is going. He also led a tour around campus showing them what is new and improved. Wes also held a question and answer session in the Monarch Room overlooking our soon to be regulation 100-yard football field. The class ended the evening with a "what have you been doing the last 40 years presentation." Most of the classmates went up and said a few words. This was "priceless". They all kind of started like this: "Hello my name is ....... and I graduated in 1976"... It was a time of fun and laughter and some of it, as we know in life,was sad, too.

Wes Porter with Class of 1976 in our School Gymnasium.

On November the 12 there was the 40th Reunion Banquet at Camp H.M. Smith's Sunset Lanai, affording a stunning view of Pearl Harbor and the island's most panoramic vista from Diamond Head to the Waianae Coast. More classmates met that night and enjoyed more of each others company. There was a awesome buffet dinner. Lester Higa and the reunion committee gave out raffle prizes through the night. On the last day of their reunion weekend, November 13, they went to Bellow's Air Force Station, Pavilion A (Bellow's Beach) where they enjoyed fun in the sun with hot dogs, hamburgers and cold beverages and the pleasure of everyone's company. The reunion weekend ended with some of classmates playing music (kanikapila session) until the sun went down.

Class of 1976 representing at Bellow's Air Force Beach.