ANGELS ON THE TRAIL

ALEX “MOUSE” SMITH ’62 RECOMMENDS A LIFE OF ADVENTURE AND COMMUNITY

Alex Smith’s favorite advice on life can be summed up in two words: “Just go.” Since his early upbringing on O‘ahu and his teenage years at HPA, he’s been drawn to open spaces and wild places, fueled by a healthy case of wanderlust.

“My travels really started with HPA,” he says. “Those were different times. Parents thought nothing of sending their children off to another island, and we thrived! I fell in love with Hawai‘i Island and never looked back.”

Smith arrived as a sophomore in 1960. The Upper School campus was under construction, and while the dorms were open, classes were still held at St. James in Waimea. Smith remembers lots of time spent outdoors: sports, campus chores, and, of course, hiking.

“We would hike out into the rainforest, go straight up into the mountains,” he recalls. “The plants fascinated me.” He also fondly remembers Head of School James Taylor and the talented young faculty members who, as recent college graduates, were not much older than Smith and his classmates. “We were greeted by wonderful people,” he says. “Taylor, in particular, really formed us as human beings. Even our attitudes about travel. I think most HPA graduates became real travelers, people who are open and curious about where they can go.”

For those young men who met so long ago, the bonds of friendship remain strong. Smith’s classmates still visit each other across islands and convene for birthdays or other celebrations. Their adventures at HPA built a life-long web of connection and a love for exploring the natural world — mountains, oceans, and beyond.

Smith continued to seek adventure after HPA. In college, he trained for the hospitality industry at

Michigan State. “The hotel business allowed me to travel,” he explains. “I started at the Kahala Hilton while I was still at MSU — we had to do an internship to graduate — and later I worked at Kona Surf and Kona Village. Along the way I spent four years at Hotel Bora Bora, and, generally speaking, I always traveled as much as I could. Back then, Pan Am had an open ticket that let you fly to unlimited destinations over a certain period of time. I liked to see how far I could get!”

After retirement, Smith ramped up his hiking, including parts of the Appalachian Trail, Colorado Trail, the Continental Divide, and even Mt. Kilimanjaro. His true love, however, is the Pacific Crest Trail, which he has completed twice. “The first time, I was airlifted out because of kidney stones,” he says. “The helicopter rescue was more harrowing than the symptoms.” The next summer, he returned to the same spot in Washington State and completed the distance.

Smith’s favorite memories of the PCT center on its community of through-hikers and “trail angels” who live near the route. “Those folks make it so supportive; they look out for the hikers,” he explains. “Shoes, dinner, whatever you need to keep going. And those of us hiking, we give each other trail names and friendships begin to develop. You have freedom on the trail, but you’re never alone.” Smith, whose trail name is “Hula Daddy,” even performed the wedding ceremony of a friend he met on the PCT. “We all went hiking afterwards!”

For today’s HPA students, Smith repeats his twoword advice: “Just go,” he says. “Take some time off and get on the trails. Live with some discomfort. Let a stranger become a lifetime friend. Learn to just be. You’ll never regret it.” •

“ I T HINK MOST HPA GRADUATES

B ECAME REAL TRAVELERS, P EOPLE WHO ARE OPEN AND C URIOUS ABOUT WHERE T HEY CAN GO. ”

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Chris Thompson ’75 is still living in Asheville, NC, where “the winter is mild this year. We’re looking to start a new season of gardening as seniors. My wife Laurie retired two years ago and is gardening like crazy. I am still running my chiropractic practice and loving it. I am still playing ultimate frisbee two times a week. Crazy. If you're in the area drop me a line!”

80s:

Vincent Robinson ’80 is excited to share that his novel, Amansun the Dragon Prince, is in the final stages of being published in hard copy, paperback, and e-Book. It’s available for purchase online and in stores now. “For any of you who enjoy fantasybased stories, or have friends and family who enjoy the genre, please consider purchasing a copy. With Aloha, Vince Robinson.”

Linda O'Brien ’81 writes that she “moved back to Moku O Keawe a year ago to Hilo and I am so grateful! It's so lovely to be back home, close to my mom and dear friends!! My husband Patrick O’Brien passed away in May of 2019, and then my dad passed away in January 2020. Then the pandemic happened, and all of this time I wanted to move home so badly, but I had to wait it out, like the rest of the world!

I leapt at the chance to move home in December 2021, and I was happy to leave Oʻahu behind, and move back to Hilo, which has always held a special place in my heart since childhood! I miss my dear daughter Chandra Vaidya, and my dear sister Jenny Piltz ’85 and her boys, but I'm so thrilled to be back home!! My mom is still in Waimea and it's been really nice to be close but not too close! I have gone to my Middle name Kaʻilikapu, Kaʻili for short, and I do my best to have aloha in my heart and follow my father’s legacy of our culture as Polynesians. ʻOnipaʻa!!!”

Michael Ho ’15 is a Cantonese Japanese American artist who currently lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. Ho graduated summa cum laude with a BA in fine arts from the University of California at Los Angeles and has gone on to achieve incredible success as a featured artist in several solo and group exhibitions in galleries across Asia — including the Tokyo International Gallery, run by close friend and fellow alum Kosuke Shimamura ’16. Michael’s latest show at Kotaro Nukaga in Tokyo, Something so beautiful is so easily forgiven, which ran April 8 to June 3, celebrates his love for the written word and text-based art. The installation showcased only words, and no imagery, chosen specifically to highlight duality and the self-deprecating and often absurd humor captured by Gen Z’s tone. Michael’s vision is that his work will literally speak to the viewer as they process each message on their own terms, through their own lens, while reading each display. Up next, Michael has a group show in Shanghai and later will head to Taiwan’s largest art fair, Taipeidangdai, where he has plans for a reunion with several classmates from 2015, including Wayne Lin.

Julie (Stewart) Crawford ’83 is living in British Columbia and shares that she “recently became a grandmother and loving it!”

Bailey (Hare) Ledesma ’83 is “sending aloha from Kapahulu! I am a new Tutu and feel very blessed! I am still teaching English language learners. I’m a TESOL K-12 & CERI Certified Teacher.”

Sean McLane ’83 has moved from Redmond, OR to Madras, OR. “I’m looking forward to coming back for my 40th reunion in 2023. Was there for the 35th and it was fun.”

Celia De Benedetti ’84 writes that she is livin’ the semi-retired dream, developing recipes for kitchen appliance companies and doing some marketing for work. Lots of traveling, going to visit HPA and the (continued on page 44)

We want to hear from you! Please submit your notes and photos to www.hpa.edu/giving/update by September 5, 2023 for the next issue of Ma Ke Kula own

10. Karly Noetzel ’18 is in the graduate film program at Montana State.

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13. Yerden Suraganov ’18 stopped by campus recently to catch up!

14. Linda O'Brien ’81 says: “Here we all are: my daughter Chandra Vaidya a nd her husband Dante Vaidya in the back, myself, my grandson Beni, m y stepdaughter Chelsea O’Brien, and Juan Bran, Chelsea's partner!! S o much Aloha!”

15. Kelley Miller ’84 got married last August and now lives in Monterey, CA. I am a vet for a senior dog rescue. We are enjoying the empty-nester l ife traveling all over the world!”

16. Chris Thompson ’75 lives in Asheville, NC, and is still running his c hiropractic practice and playing ultimate frisbee twice a week.

17. Mako Yamamoto ’19 recently participated in a developmental reading of a new show called Night Side Songs with the American Music Theatre P roject at Northwestern University. More details are in the class notes!

18. Michi Wong ’22 is currently in Florence, Italy on a school trip and had a c hance to meet up with Ivanni Jamin ’20!

19. Jackson Solomon ’15 is now the Director of Content and Marketing at Unrulr, a Native-Hawaiian-founded edtech startup based in Honolulu. H e’s living with his partner in San Diego, and finding time for surfing and snow boarding.