Glenn Kawahara:
CLASS OF 1976
Kubasaki High SchoolClass of 1976
Okinawa,
University of Hawaii - Business AdministrationClass of 1982
Honolulu, HI
Glenn's Story
Life:
i married a local girl in 1990, after 7 years of courtship . . . still married to the same girl. . . we've been together for over 25 years . . . plan to let her keep me as long as she wants to . . . hee hee hee . . . we don't look anything like our wedding photo . . . a little older and a little heavier . . . it's okay even if there is more of us to love as long as we grow old together.
we have 2 sons. the older son (Goliath) attends Roosevelt High School and the younger one (glenn, jr) attends Hawaii Baptist Middle School...the younger one plays baseball for Manoa Athletic Club, and PAC-5 Intermediate Baseball League; and the older one played JV baseball for the Roosevelt Rough Riders last year (hoping that he'll make the varsity team this year). they both show potential, especially while they have been playing for only three years . . . my father-in-law is so proud of his grandsons.
dad died in September 1990, three months after we were married - he was too ill to attend my wedding... he never saw his grandsons...i know he is watching over them from above. my sons would loved him because he was a very kind, generous, loving man who was also a great fisherman, a 200+ bowler, a golfer with +2 handicap, baseball player (Chicago Cubs' fan)pitched in high school, football player (Chicago Bears' fan)played quarterback , a Toastmaster, a Master Mason, and a Shriner. gee... what happened to me?
mom died in Okinawa at the age of 74 after caring for her mom in Kagoshima for 12 years (grandma was 96). still can't believe that she is gone. i find myself waiting for a phone call from her to say that she is coming back to Hawaii to live with us. We had planned to extend our house by adding a new room and a bath for her.
our lives revolve around the boys' schools and their extra-curricular activities. my sweetie schedules her work around the kid's activities and by the day's end, it is very common for her to drive over 100 miles a day. . . remember guys, this is not the continental usa where the roads are well maintained and traffic congestion is no way near what it is in honolulu... In the morning, we used to leave home at 05:45am, drive 24 miles, and reach their school around 7:20am. . . if it rained or there was an accident on the freeway, forget it . . we wouldn't get to school after 8am... at the end of the day, we stayed at our in-laws', ate dinner and waited out the traffic . . . return home at 8:30pm . . . sons bathe and in bed by 9pm . . . can't remember the last time we went out for a dinner and an oopie! yes, it is a paradise here but only if you have the time and money to appreciate it . . . visiting here and living here are totally different . . . it is hard to believe that i've been working for the State Government for 20+ years... and another decade or so 'til retirement. i was planning to travel across China with my older son after his high school graduation. who knows i might die in Gobi Desert or on the plateaus of Tibet! however, my older son have been selected as one of the traveling members of the "People to People Ambassador" from Hawaii to visit...Expand for more
China in June. my sweetie is totally oblivious to the Chinese cultures . . . her fantasies revolve around the European cultures [especially, ze French who likes to insult ze Amerikens!] . . . she is afraid of the ocean - imagine that, an island girl disliking the ocean . . hates cruises and i love cruises . . . A BIG PROBLEM . . . AHEAD . . .
at least once in our lifetime, many of us are tormented by one haunting question: "what if we could go back and do over . . . " those of you who choose to change your past, go ahead, but don't screw up my lifeline. i wouldn't change anything because my past is who i am. if i did, i would never have met my sweetie [and others who made my life interesting, memorable, and meaningful], thus, would not have my two wonderful sons whom i am willing to give my life for. i prescribe to the Calvinist (?) philosophy of 'predestination'. this is the life i was meant to lead and everything that's happened to me was the best possible choice at that time. . . everything that'll happen to me in the future will also the best possible outcome of scenarios. so, i don't worry about the future any more . . . just live every day as if it were the last day of my life on earth . . . But that's not what the string theorists say!
KHS: basically a four-eyed nerd, nhs, mat, volleyball (a bench setter)- according to mr. Hirano, i was the best bench warmer he ever had! What an honor! chinese cultural club - drafted into the club through my german class (makes lot of sense doesn't it?). i became chinese through mutual associations.
College: took 6 years to complete, my majors flipped-flopped like a fish out of water. i needed to graduate and get a job! actually, it was more like a crawl down the isle than a triumphant march at the graduation ceremony. college years were the most regrettable and forgettable years of my life - a total disenchantment of ideals and nothing but years of misery, broken promises and dreams, an ultimate example of excruciating torture.
things didn't improve much after graduation . . . changing jobs almost every other year . . . a couple of unemployment periods between jobs. yes, they were jobs and not careers . . . then life made a 180 degree turn for the better after meeting my sweetie.
Have 20+ countable service years with the State Government and eligible for retirement on December 31, 2017 with 53.25% vested pension (guaranteed annual increases of 2%) with medical / dental / drug / vision coverages for life. isn't that exciting?
i am looking forward to my retirement years to baby-sit my grandsons . . . i can now join the AARP and eligible for a 10% senior discounts at some establishments. hee hee hee. . . the only consolation for the aching, creaking, stiff, uncooperative joints and limbs (compounded by Alzheimer's - ginko bilba is not working !!!).
i relax by enjoying my favorite glass of cognac or Scotch while reading a classic by charles dickens, victor hugo, or joseph conrad.
my dad's my hero - always solid, steady and reliable, like his name. only time will tell how close i've successfully emulated him.
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