It’s fitting that during the same week in which Bill Kwon’s
life was celebrated the University of Hawaii football team is preparing
to play an opponent with a starting safety named Weston Steelhammer.
Two of the many things Kwon loved were UH sports and athletes with great names.
The longtime Star-Bulletin sportswriter and editor got such a
kick out of the latter that he’d pore through the high school rosters
each year in search of unique names to write a column about.
There was Maunakea Mossman and Cash Petty. Bruddah Choy Foo, Sista Palakiko, Boy and Pal Eldredge.
Datsun Nihipali — who did not change his first name to
Nissan in 1986. And who could forget Earvin and Magic Atuaia? Or Allen
Allen and Samoa Samoa?
Honolulu Mika and Hawaii Mika.
His favorite was Laborday Hunkin.
Too bad Kwon, who died two weeks ago at age 82, had retired
before Wave Ryder (who ended up at the Naval Academy, of course) and
Peanut Butter Kaaialii made names for themselves in Hawaii high school
sports. He would’ve had so much fun writing about them.
Kwon had his serious side, but he never forgot sports were
supposed to be enjoyed — even if you were a Red Sox fan who had to
endure (stuff) like Bucky #$%^ing Dent, bled green while your beloved
’Bows lost to BYU every year, and waited patiently for Michelle Wie to
live up to the hype.
He was the first daily newspaper editor to give a
rough-around-the-edges kid a chance to work in sports, first with high
school football stats in 1981. My first writing assignment came a year
later.
I was eager, and Kwon gave me all I could handle. A lot of
high school baseball and local golf. Tractor pulls and youth soccer. But
also a few tastes of bigger events, like the Pro Bowl and the Hawaiian
Open. It was all great on-the-job training.
As an editor, Kwon was patient and understanding. He was a teacher who corrected privately and tactfully.
As a columnist, he was clever yet meticulous. Critical at times, but fair.
And it was obvious which sport was his favorite.
“He taught me about golf,” said retired Star-Bulletin
sportswriter Randy Cadiente. “How to cover it. But especially how to
play it.”
I can’t remember him losing his temper. Ever.
He was Mr. Consistency as a columnist.
“I remember calling him once with a question and I can’t
even remember what it was about,” said Clyde Mizumoto, who edited Kwon’s
column for 10 years.
“He was professional, always on time,” said Curtis Murayama,
the Advertiser’s sports editor at the time and now the
Star-Advertiser’s deputy sports editor.
I was fortunate to have Kwon as a mentor and also to be part
of his unofficial book club. We shared good reads for many years, and
good conversation until just a few weeks before he passed.
On Thursday at Waialae Country Club, speakers representing
the many facets of his life recalled Bill’s wit and his vast knowledge
and appreciation of many subjects. Mostly, though, we talked about what
he meant to us as a friend.
David Ishii, the great golf champion, noted it was “the liveliest and funnest” celebration of life he’d been to.
I drove home smiling, remembering Bill did finally get to
see the Red Sox win three World Series, the ’Bows thrash BYU a few
times, and Michelle Wie capture an LPGA major.
-- Dave Reardon, Star Advertiser, 10/21/16
