Singer Jimmy Borges was looking good and standing taller than any player on the court as he was named an honorary member of the University of Hawaii basketball team and given Warriors jersey No. 1 on Jan. 6 at the Stan Sheriff Center. The presentation was made at halftime of the UH-Cal Poly game, which UH went on to win, 86-73. “It was one of the most thrilling moments of my fantasy athletic life,” Jimmy said. “It was such a surprise. I truly was an all-star in football, baseball and track in intermediate and high school in Oakland, Calif., but I was a lousy basketball player.”
Taking part in the presentation ceremony were UH President David Lassner, athletic director David Matlin, Chancellor Robert Bley-Vroman and Don Robbs, the “Voice of Rainbow Baseball,” who was behind the well-deserved honor for Borges, who has cancer. Robbs said Jimmy was being honored for singing the national anthem at the basketball game of the the Rainbow Classic for 40 years. Jimmy’s wife, Vicki, was standing next to him during the ceremony. He kept the jersey on when they went to have chili at Zippy’s after the honor. “I’m going to wear the jersey every chance I get,” proud Jimmy said. … The show Jimmy did for sponsors of the Jimmy Borges Memorial Scholarship at the PBS- Hawaii studio Dec. 3, at which Jimmy revealed his medical condition, will be shown by PBS KHET at 8 p.m. Thursday …
Hawaii’s Jeannette Paulson Hereniko, a lovely, smart lady and beautiful speaker, is best known as the founding director of the Hawai‘i International Film Festival, a position she held from 1981 to 1996. She is also the founding director of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, which she started in 1990 with Sonny Bono. She’s been a jury member for international film festivals such as Berlin, Singapore, Hanoi, Mumbai and Manila, and is a founding board member of the Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema. Currently she is a film producer, owner of AsiaPacificFilms.com and a film curator for Alexander Street, an electronic publishing company. Jeannette draws upon her film adventures as the basis of her new one-woman show, “When Strangers Meet.” The show is scheduled at the Honolulu Museum of Arts Doris Duke Theatre for Jan. 30 at 1 and 7:30 p.m. Having worked closely with Jeannette when she was starting HIFF in 1980, I’m sure her show will be a winner. For tickets, go to bit.ly/1OgSCsJ …
Renowned New York trumpet player Eddie Henderson will blow into town for a Feb. 6 return gig at Halekulani’s Lewers Lounge. Working with Henderson in a quintet will be pianist Tommy James. The piano man joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1987 and in 2010 became the band’s conductor and musical director. Shows will be at 7:30 and 9:15 p.m. Tickets are $100 and $75 …
Hawaiian Airlines pilots, flight attendants and Navy volunteers deserve recognition and credit for putting on a HUGS Christmas party Dec. 20 for some 300 people, many of them seriously ill children, at Pomaika‘i Ballroom. The HAL team conducted a toy drive for presents and provided a Santa to hand out the gifts. The sailors assisted distributing presents, taking food to tables and helping with the cleanup. For the past 33 years, HUGS (Help Understanding & Group Support), a local nonprofit, has provided emotional and financial support for Hawaii families caring for seriously ill children. …
No Wood Craft for a short time as I will be taking a break …
Ben Wood, who sold newspapers on Honolulu streets in World War II, writes of people, places and things. Email him at bwood@staradvertiser.com.
