Incidental Lives

Stories stream from a mind overflowing with memories

When Gloria Valera opens her mouth, it's a good bet the first words to roll off her tongue will be, "I have a story ..." What follows is always worth listening to.

Students get challenges, teacher reaps satisfaction

Is there a subtle way to say that you studied classical piano at age 3 and spent your teen years giving solo performances at Westminster Cathedral or St. George's Chapel Windsor Castle (for Queen Elizabeth!) — y'know, without inviting a hellacious two-fisted melvin?

Language is no barrier for Korean star Kim's fans

He said he was surprised and humbled to have a fan club in Hawaii.

Picking up trash, treating felons civilly make up life of a gentleman

Soiled Pampers don't just fly out of passing cars by themselves. Ditto the beer bottles that turn into heel-slicing shards once they hit the shoulder of the road.

Perseverance pays off nicely for Waipahu fisherman

Henry Okahara, a lifelong fisherman and collector of great fishing stories, thought he might have yet another contribution to the annals of The Ones That Got Away.

Kaneohe couple shares home with collection of cuddly buddies

You assign real names only to things you intend to keep. So, for now at least, the puppy’s unofficial name is Puppy.

Garbage collector is savior to many who have lost wallets

The saying goes that all lost things are in the angels’ keeping. Still, Sandra Laney didn’t hold out much hope of ever seeing her ID and credit cards again after her wallet was stolen June 1 at Koko Marina.

For Buddhist parole officer, changing lives is a sure thing

Some things a person just knows. Like when Jo desMarets was in the third grade in Columbus, Ohio, working on a Hawaii statehood project and she just knew that sooner or later she was going to live in Hawaii.

Employee of the Salvation Army helps others leave the life he left

Busy as he is these days, Curtis McClean always makes time to walk the streets around his Iwilei office, ambling along the sidewalks outside the Institute for Human Services next door, where folks gather early to secure a spot in the dinner line, and across Aala Park, where homeless people sleep beneath park benches and addicts and dealers circle nervously about the bathrooms.

Boy dying of cancer held on long enough for graduation

He made it. For all of the prayers offered on his behalf, for all of the white-knuckle negotiations with higher powers, for all of the stubborn faith friends and family had invested in him, was there anyone at last week’s Kamehameha Schools graduation ceremony who witnessed senior Keaton Wong take the stage to receive his diploma and didn’t feel a warm swell of amazement?