Hawai'i admirers honor Reagan with lei, aloha
| • | 'Reagan belongs to the ages' |
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By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer
Carrying lei, a canoe paddle and other offerings, Hawai'i residents filled St. Andrew's Cathedral yesterday to pay tribute to Ronald Reagan with aloha.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser
Organizers estimated that 300 people attended the memorial service at the Beretania Street church, where in 1984 the president and first lady worshipped. Before the altar yesterday was a large photograph of Reagan, draped in lei. Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona attended the service.
Andy Mertz, of Hawai'i Kai, honored former President Ronald Reagan during a nonpartisan tribute yesterday at St. Andrew's Cathedral.
"Ronald Reagan loved Hawai'i," said state Sen. Sam Slom, R-8th (Kahala, Hawai'i Kai), who emceed the program. "For many of us, we still remember him with his boyish grin on Kahala beach, throwing that coconut 'football,'" Slom said, recalling a photo from one of Reagan's visits.
Community leaders and citizens presented gifts, including a paniolo hat with feather lei, an 'ukulele, poi pounder and kukui nut lei, which will be sent to Nancy Reagan and then forwarded on to the Reagan library in Simi Valley, Calif.
Master canoe builder Sonny Bradley and his 5-year-old granddaughter Kainani presented a koa steering paddle.
Kumu hula Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett and John Lake and his halau presented a Hawaiian chant written for Reagan.
Dozens of those attending the service placed flowers and lei in front of the easel holding a photograph of Reagan.
Betty Sorensen said she traveled to the service from her Mokule'ia home because "it's not often in your life you get to go to a memorial service for a president" and she wanted to see the tribute with a "Hawaiian flavor."
Rita Lum, a 66-year-old Nu-'uanu resident, said, "I'm not a Republican, I'm a Democrat, but he supported everybody."
Millie Loggins, 74, came with her husband. "When we heard that the service would be held here, we decided to hop on the bus from Mililani," Loggins said.
Retired Navy Capt. Gerald Coffee, a former pilot who was one of the longest-held POWs of the Vietnam War, told the gathering of how he first met Reagan after returning from Southeast Asia to California.
"He was eager to hear our stories and we were just as eager to hear his reactions," Coffee said. "He taught us possibly the most important lesson: that optimism works." Coffee closed his remarks by tapping out "good night" and "God bless you" in Morse code.
Linda Smith, Gov. Linda Lingle's senior policy adviser, recalled being in Washington when Reagan was shot on March 30, 1981. "We could see that the Secret Service personnel were surrounding the president. During the next few minutes some of us knelt down in prayer." She said she and others wrote down their blood type in case they were asked to donate blood.
Mayoral candidate Mufi Hannemann spoke about meeting the president while working as a White House fellow.
"I will always remain very indebted to President Reagan and Vice President Bush for giving this rare opportunity to a boy from Kalihi to work in the White House," Hannemann said.
Reach Kelly Yamanouchi at kyamanouchi@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2470.
