This section is dedicated to those that have taken on the leadership mantle to guide us through our Senior year.   Here are their words of wisdom…

LOUIS MATAUTIA (Senior Class President) – August 1, 2006

25 years… In 1981: 40 years of age seemed OLD, we could see and touch our toes, and viagra wasn’t even in our vocabulary. My how time flies.

A quarter of a century has passed since leaving our Alma Mater. Some of our class mates have stayed in the Islands, others have pursued life on the mainland, some are serving in the armed forces in foreign countries, and we have lost a few of our classmates. For a lot of individuals a measurement of success has to do with how much financial wealth one can accumulate over time: a big house in a wealthy neighborhood, a bank account that has more money than most people make in a life time, a yacht, stocks, bonds, etc………….

As far as I am concerned, graduating from DMHS has made us the most successful men in the world. The lessons learned, the friendships made, the accomplishments achieved throughout the 4 years at DMHS have taught us discipline, responsibility and respect. From Mr Lloyds paddle, to Mr Alejos lectures, to brother Walzacs detention, we had to become men at an early age. We were held accountable for our actions, responsible for the decisions we made and required to fulfill our obligations to DMHS as men pursuing a quality education.

Over the past 25 years we have all had to endure life’s experiences. Some were good, others were bad, but for the most part it was “LIFE” in the real world. Our education and experiences at DMHS helped us to prepare for life in the real world. For that we should be thankful to DMHS.  Take Care!

JOSEPH A. HOLTZMANN Viriliter Age – July 31, 2006

Eighteen years, give or take a handful of months, is all the more we age in our lives by the time we graduate high school. It was hard to imagine then what the future would hold, and is somewhat mind-blowing, now that we’ve come to a point 25 years beyond that. State-of-the-art home computers came with 16k of memory (~9k less than what I used to write this post); the space shuttle was a fleet of one, and just getting started; the Internet as we know it didn’t exist; we played tapes in our cars, and vinyl records at home; 27 inches was large for a TV; and nobody ever said, “Super size it!”

Then we went to work, went to college, went to the armed services, and somewhere along the way we grew up. Responsibility is a bear of a burden, but really it’s what separates the men from the boys. We’ve started families and careers, care for people, our children and our parents, help others, ourselves, and help others help themselves. And through it all we all started on common ground, a tiny campus in Kalihi on Houghtailing St., a place we look back on in fond (and maybe some not-so-fond) memories.

It’s time to come home again, and return to the ‘ohana of the class of 1981, to share and laugh and reminisce the good and bad times, old and new, and say we are one. One must admit that as a class we were hardly shining examples: we went from a class of over 215 Freshmen to a graduating class of barely more than 140 Seniors; we logged more hours of detention than any other class, yet had 11 of us who never received even a single hour; and we single-handedly ended the tradition of Senior Day. And yet we hither-to earned more in scholarships than any previous class; we are doctors, lawyers, pilots, artists, teachers, managers, businessmen, policemen, servicemen, engineers, and workers in many walks of life; and we are loving husbands and fathers and great friends. It’s time, after a quarter century, to reconnect, relive and renew. Welcome home, Damien Memorial High School, class of 1981!