Former University of Hawaii music professor Richard S. Lum, 90, a distinguished educator and fabulous trumpet player, died Sept. 18. Hundreds of people attended his celebration of life Oct. 16 at Hawaiian Memorial Park. Lum also once served as McKinley High School’s band director, and among his former students who attended his service was flute player Carole Kai, who celebrated her birthday Friday. Carole is better known as a singer, fundraiser, actress and pianist.
“I was one of seven people who spoke glowingly about him and how wonderful and special he was,” Carole said. She said when she first walked into the “broken-down, old” McKinley band room, she wanted to walk out until Lum came in and “lit up the room because he was so full of infectious life and happy enthusiasm. He just exuded energy and positivity and made people feel good about themselves. He had that effect on me every time I encountered him. He was bigger than life!”
“He even helped a girl who was blind in one eye and with one bad arm to believe in herself to the point where she was pursuing a college education and playing the trumpet to boot.”
The girl has cerebral palsy and received the last trumpet lesson Lum gave this year. She is a music major in an Oregon college now and sent a message that was read at the celebration, said Lum’s son, Mike, organizer of the huge event at which the McKinley high and UH bands performed.
Henry Miyamura is music director and conductor for the Honolulu Youth Symphony and a former clarinetist in the McKinley band (1954-56) during Lum’s early years there. He had to leave the celebration early to conduct a band rehearsal. He left a message, reading in part: “What Mr. Lum did for the bands in Hawaii and the devotion he had for their future will be hard to match.”
Pallbearers were Arnold Alconcel, Thomas Bingham, Jeffrey Boeckman, Clarke Bright, Stanton Haugen, Keith Higaki, Michael Nakasone and Grant Okamura …
LUM, a 1944 McKinley grad, was principal trumpet in the Honolulu Symphony for 15 years. He taught at McKinley before being hired by UH, where he served as band director for 25 years, retiring in 1985. He then became band director at Hawaii Pacific University, retiring in 1995. When he was a UH senior in 1950, I was a freshman there and a trumpet player in the band. I had the honor of sitting in the chair next to Lum in band class and tooting my horn. I learned plenty from him. He was a brilliant trumpet player and quite a guy …
Wood Chips
I turned 85 on Wednesday, and as I approached that birthday I realized that I am likely the oldest working journalist in the state and may have been for several years … Among the fantasy gifts in Neiman Marcus’ annual Christmas Book is a one-day private quarterback camp with Joe Montana for the gift recipient and three pals for $65,000. I’m sure some of my teammates at Roosevelt High wish I had taken some lessons from a Hall of Fame quarterback before I played QB for Roosevelt in 1948 … Ballet Hawaii is one of 41 community arts organizations nationwide that will benefit from sales of mostly moderately priced gifts in the Christmas Book … Congratulations to Neiman Marcus public relations chief Amy Tomita for being named retail employee of the year Oct. 20 at the Retail Merchants of Hawaii luncheon at Hilton Hawaiian Village. Barry Taniguchi of KTA Super Stores was named retailer of the year … Congrats also to Gerald Glennon, former Halekulani general manager, for landing the job as GM of the Kahala Hotel …
Ben Wood, who sold newspapers on Honolulu streets in World War II, writes of people, places and things. Email him at bwood@staradvertiser.com.
