Gold medalist sports many local volleyball connections

By Ben Wood

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 17, 2012

~~In chatting with Brownie Williams Monday, I learned Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor is a part-Hawaiian athlete who was born in L.A. and is related to Brownie's late husband, Alex Williams, formerly of Williams Photography, as well as late First Hawaiian Bank prez Johnny Bellinger. Misty has won three successive gold medals in beach volleyball with partner Kerri Walsh Jennings. <img style="float:right;padding-left:1em;padding-bottom:1em;" alt="" src="http://media.staradvertiser.com/images/20120817_fea_woodM.jpg" /> In 2004, Misty married Matt Treanor, now a catcher with the L.A. Dodgers. Veteran Hokulea sailor Gordon Piianaia, a Kamehameha product, played volleyball for the University of Hawaii and also against Misty's dad, Butch May, in Waikiki. Butch attended Saint Louis before moving to California. Gordon said Misty learned the game not only from her dad but also from her mom, the late Barbara Grubb. The couple played mixed doubles together and eventually married. Butch was a member of the 1968 Olympic volleyball team that included the late Tom Haine, a Roosevelt graduate who was team captain, and Pete Velasco, a Kamehameha grad who captained the team in the 1964 Olympics.Another outstanding athlete on the '68 team was Jon Stanley, who moved to Honolulu from California in 1967. Jon is the father of Kaiser grad Clay Stanley, this year's men's volleyball team captain. …
A RESPECTED group of inductees, plus honors for past royal Hawaiian surfers and music by Henry Kapono and Maunalua, will help make the third annual Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame Awards Dinner quite a party Thursday, 6 p.m., at the Outrigger Canoe Club. Inductees this year are Ricky Grigg, Archie Kalepa and the late Michael Tongg, as well as Brian Keaulana, whose dad, Buffalo Keaulana, was named to the hall in 2010. Also being honored for taking surfing to waters off California and England more than a century ago are Princes David Kawananakoa, Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole and Edward Abnel Keliiahonui and Princess Victoria Kaiulani Cleghorn. Chairing the event are Tim Guard and Carol Jaxon. Honorary chairman is Honolulu Star-Advertiser Publisher Dennis Francis. The presenting sponsors are the Star-Advertiser and the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation. Call the Outrigger Canoe Club at 923-1585 for $65 tickets. Hall-of-Famers named in the first two years are Duke Kahanamoku, Eddie Aikau, Wally Froiseth, Fred Hemmings, Rabbit Kekai, Keo Nakama, Nappy Napoleon and Rell Sunn in 2010; and last year, Peter Cole, Ethel Kukea, Aileen Soule and Nainoa Thompson. …
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In chatting with Brownie Williams Monday, I learned Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor is a part-Hawaiian athlete who was born in L.A. and is related to Brownie's late husband, Alex Williams, formerly of Williams Photography, as well as late First Hawaiian Bank prez Johnny Bellinger. Misty has won three successive gold medals in beach volleyball with partner Kerri Walsh Jennings. In 2004, Misty married Matt Treanor, now a catcher with the L.A. Dodgers. Veteran Hokulea sailor Gordon Piianaia, a Kamehameha product, played volleyball for the University of Hawaii and also against Misty's dad, Butch May, in Waikiki. Butch attended Saint Louis before moving to California. Gordon said Misty learned the game not only from her dad but also from her mom, the late Barbara Grubb. The couple played mixed doubles together and eventually married. Butch was a member of the 1968 Olympic volleyball team that included the late Tom Haine, a Roosevelt graduate who was team captain, and Pete Velasco, a Kamehameha grad who captained the team in the 1964 Olympics.Another outstanding athlete on the '68 team was Jon Stanley, who moved to Honolulu from California in 1967. Jon is the father of Kaiser grad Clay Stanley, this year's men's volleyball team captain. …

A RESPECTED group of inductees, plus honors for past royal Hawaiian surfers and music by Henry Kapono and Maunalua, will help make the third annual Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame Awards Dinner quite a party Thursday, 6 p.m., at the Outrigger Canoe Club. Inductees this year are Ricky Grigg, Archie Kalepa and the late Michael Tongg, as well as Brian Keaulana, whose dad, Buffalo Keaulana, was named to the hall in 2010. Also being honored for taking surfing to waters off California and England more than a century ago are Princes David Kawananakoa, Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole and Edward Abnel Keliiahonui and Princess Victoria Kaiulani Cleghorn. Chairing the event are Tim Guard and Carol Jaxon. Honorary chairman is Honolulu Star-Advertiser Publisher Dennis Francis. The presenting sponsors are the Star-Advertiser and the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation. Call the Outrigger Canoe Club at 923-1585 for $65 tickets. Hall-of-Famers named in the first two years are Duke Kahanamoku, Eddie Aikau, Wally Froiseth, Fred Hemmings, Rabbit Kekai, Keo Nakama, Nappy Napoleon and Rell Sunn in 2010; and last year, Peter Cole, Ethel Kukea, Aileen Soule and Nainoa Thompson. … Login for more...