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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, December 15, 2006

Thompson heads list of five Hawai'i Hall of Famers

Advertiser Staff

Donnis Thompson

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Linda S. Fernandez

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Thomas H. Gentry

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Richard W. S. Tom

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Mark Tuinei

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Donnis Thompson, who played a pioneering role in the women's athletic program at the University of Hawai'i, heads a list of five sports figures voted into the Hawai'i Sports Hall of Fame and Cybermuseum.

Thompson, ex-pro volleyball player Linda S. Fernandez, offshore speed boat racer Thomas H. Gentry, Olympic weightlifting medalist Richard W. S. Tom and former all-pro offensive tackle Mark Tuinei form the 10th anniversary class for formal induction ceremonies Feb. 6 at Honolulu Country Club.

Their induction will bring to 104 the number honored since the Hall of Fame began.

Thompson was UH's first full-time women's athletic director and during her tenure at UH (1976-81) sports for women increased from 2 to 9 and scholarships rose from less than 1 percent to 29 percent at UH.

Fernandez, a former UH volleyball player, was a three-time All-International Volleyball Association player in the late 1970s and won the 1979 ABC-TV women's superstar competition.

Gentry, a prominent home builder, was known as the "fastest man offshore" in the 1980s and '90s while setting records and winning world championships in high-speed motorboat racing. The last of his records, 157.428 mph, was set in 1994 before a boat racing accident in Florida ended his career and eventually led to his death at age 67 in 1998.

Tom starred in the heyday of world-class weight lifting here in the 1940s and went on to win a bronze medal in the bantamweight class in the 1948 Olympics in London. He is listed as the first Chinese-American Olympic medalist.

Tuinei played football at Punahou School, UCLA and UH before beginning a 15-year NFL career with Dallas. He helped the Cowboys to three Super Bowl victories and appeared in three Pro Bowls. He died at age 39 in 1999 after an accidental overdose.

Exhibits from the Hall of Fame are on display at Bishop Museum, state airports and Aloha Stadium. Nominations for 2008 may be made through the website, www.hawaiisportshalloffame.com.