This is the 50th year the Royal Hawaiian Band has been performing at noon Fridays in the Coronation Pavilion on the ‘Iolani Place grounds for the public to enjoy, says retired attorney Peter Donahoe, 82. What’s more, Peter says he was responsible for getting those concerts started half a century ago.
Peter said that in 1963 he was a Hawaii deputy attorney general headquartered in the building now used as the palace archives. Being a budget-minded young lawyer with three kids and another on the way, he brought his lunch to work in a brown paper bag to enjoy under a monkeypod tree on the historic grounds.
Back in the summer of 1959, while clerking at a Boston law firm between semesters at Harvard Law School, Peter was brown-bagging it then, too. He ate at Boston Commons, as there was a band concert in the park’s gazebo every day at noon during the summer.
Fast forward to Peter’s lunches on the palace grounds and a light bulb flashed on over his head: He thought the isles should have noon band concerts in the palace pavilion. He dashed up to Gov. John Burns‘ office on the second floor of the palace and suggested the concerts to press secretary Don Horio.
Because the Royal Hawaiian Band is not a state agency but part of the City and County of Honolulu, Peter advised Horio to contact Brian Casey, who was Mayor Neal Blaisdell‘s press chief. He did and they saw to it that the concerts started the following Friday.
"When I think of all the thousands of locals and tourists who have enjoyed these concerts over the years, it gives me great pleasure," Peter said …
TASTY DESSERT: After lunch at Mariposa Aug. 22, Mihana Souza started playing the ukulele and singing hapa-haole and Hawaiian songs softly. That brought Danny Kaleikini and Linda Wong to the table. Danny was handed the uke and sang several songs.
I have covered Danny since the late 1960s but had never seen him play a stringed instrument before. The music brought Joe Recca over and he sang and danced hula to "Boy From Laupahoehoe," one of the many songs written by Mihana’s late mom, Irmgard Farden Aluli. Joe was having lunch with his wife, Shirley, and daughters Delys and Elan.
Danny will be in Cincinnati to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the Bengals’ game with the New England Patriots Oct. 6. Hawaii resident Dr. Edison Miyawaki and his son, Harvard professor Edison K. Miyawaki, are minority owners of the Bengals …
SINGERS Kristian Lei and Gavin Vinta welcomed their daughter, Diamond Saige Liza-Jo Ku‘uleipuanani Hegwood Vinta (that’s a mouthful) Aug. 9 at the Queen’s Medical Center.
"After 40 hours of labor, I had a C-section," Kristian said. "Turns out Diamond was too big. She was 9 pounds, 7.4 ounces, 22 inches long! Singer Melveen Leed gifted little ‘Princess Di’ with her own Hawaiian name meaning beautiful heavenly wreath surrounded by love." Godmother is singer Anita Hall and godfather is Bill Orihuela …
———
Ben Wood, who sold newspapers on Honolulu streets in World War II, writes of people, places and things. Email him at bwood@staradvertiser.com.
