May 24, 1981 - Graduation Day @Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall
May 24, 1981 - Graduation Day @Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall
April 21, 2024 - Damien Luau Class of '81 with Coach Herb Lloyd
@Damien Memorial School
April 21, 2024 - Damien Luau Class of '81 with Coach Herb Lloyd
@Damien Memorial School
December 18, 2023 - Christmas & Jaimie Tactay's Retirement Party
@Moanalua Golf Clubhouse
December 18, 2023 - Christmas & Jaimie Tactay's Retirement Party
@Moanalua Golf Clubhouse
August 5, 2023 - 60th Birthday Golf Day @Moanalua Golf Course
August 5, 2023 - 60th Birthday Golf Day @Moanalua Golf Course
December 6, 2019 - 38th Reunion HAIA Golf Tournament
@Hawaii Prince Golf Course
December 6, 2019 - 38th Reunion HAIA Golf Tournament
@Hawaii Prince Golf Course
May 18, 2017 - 36th Reunion @The Spaghetti Factory
May 18, 2017 - 36th Reunion @The Spaghetti Factory
January 17, 2017 Ernesto Martin Lung Funeral Services @ Hosoi
January 17, 2017 Ernesto Martin Lung Funeral Services @ Hosoi
October 18, 2016 - 35th Reunion かんぱい Dan Keating
@Diablo's Cantina
October 18, 2016 - 35th Reunion かんぱい Dan Keating
@Diablo's Cantina
October 16, 2016 - 35th Reunion Garden Court @Main Street
October 16, 2016 - 35th Reunion Garden Court @Main Street
October 14, 2016 - 35th Reunion Triple 7 @Main Street
October 14, 2016 - 35th Reunion Triple 7 @Main Street
October 8, 2016 35th Reunion
We just sang Damien Alma Mater @Club Genji
October 8, 2016 35th Reunion
We just sang Damien Alma Mater @Club Genji
October 20, 2016 - 35th Reunion Golfing @Coral Creek
October 20, 2016 - 35th Reunion Golfing @Coral Creek
October 13, 2016 - Damien 35th Reunion
Las Vegas Day Fremont Street
October 13, 2016 - Damien 35th Reunion
Las Vegas Day Fremont Street
August 17, 2015 Derrick Ortogero Pallbearers
@Hawaii Memorial Park
August 17, 2015 Derrick Ortogero Pallbearers
@Hawaii Memorial Park
August 19, 2011 - 30th Reunion Pool Night
@Hawaiian Brian's Billiards
August 19, 2011 - 30th Reunion Pool Night
@Hawaiian Brian's Billiards
August 17, 2011 - 30th Reunion Imu Pit Unearthing
@Kevin Doo's Hale
August 17, 2011 - 30th Reunion Imu Pit Unearthing
@Kevin Doo's Hale
October 29, 2006 - 25th Reunion - Sunday Picnic
@Kailua Beach Park
October 29, 2006 - 25th Reunion - Sunday Picnic
@Kailua Beach Park
October 29, 2006 - 25th Reunion - Sunday Picnic
@Kailua Beach Park, Mrs. Margaret Scafuri (Math Teacher) joined us!
October 29, 2006 - 25th Reunion - Sunday Picnic
@Kailua Beach Park, Mrs. Margaret Scafuri (Math Teacher) joined us!
August 17, 2006 – Reunion Campaign Get Together Dinner
@Allan Tam's Chin Restaurant
August 17, 2006 – Reunion Campaign Get Together Dinner
@Allan Tam's Chin Restaurant
August 3, 2006 - Reunion Meeting
15 years since our 10th Reunion @Gordon Biersch
August 3, 2006 - Reunion Meeting
15 years since our 10th Reunion @Gordon Biersch
Damien Memorial High School Class of 1981 Mission
- To promote the spirit of our class unity through communications & reunions.
- To locate other alumni, acquire & maintain school, and Association memorabilia.
- To create activities, social events and reunions for members.
- To contribute funds, individually and collectively, to support and promote Damien Memorial School.
- To assist in the Mission of Damien Memorial School.
Alma Mater
Damien Alma Mater
tender true and bold
Proudly in the heavens,
gleams thy mauve and gold.
Glory’s mantle cloaks thee
God our guide is nigh
and our hearts forever
love the Damien High,
…and our hearts forever
praise the Damien High!
Graduation Day May 24, 1981
Senior Class Leaders
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!
VERNON BEEBE (Student Body President) – April 24, 2024
Aloha Gentlemen of ’81…when I saw the order for the new shirts, emblazoned with the Lost Boys title, I couldn’t help but smile at the appropriateness. Damien Memorial High in our era, was “That Little School That Could”. Often overlooked, we as a Student Body always found opportunities to stand out in the crowd of bigger, so – called prestigious institutions of higher learning. What set us apart, was CHARACTER. There is a lot of grit and perseverance in the hearts and minds of you gentlemen, something that I often observed and admired. There is also, more importantly; a true sense of Aloha amongst you.
I write this from the perspective of a brother who wishes that he could be with you in person; but in spite of this loves you no less. There is a thread through all of these messages, and time is laying it bare. Hold close your Damien 81 brothers. Like that Golden Age that we were blessed to be in; youngsters that became young men together, there will never be a class as unique as we are.
Well, this vintage has been unavoidable, but it doesn’t require growing up to achieve. VIRILITER AGE, Brothers.
Senior Year
Head of the Class
This section is dedicated to those that have excelled in our class. Here are their words of wisdom…
DR. SAM LAU (General Excellence – Gold Medal > Valedictorian) – August 2006
Dear friends, I cannot believe that it has been 25 years since we have graduated from Damien. Where has all that time gone?? Looking back over the years, I am so appreciative of the 4 years I spent at our alma mater. I would not have become the person I am today without the excellent education & study habits (sometimes forced upon us by the Brothers & Mr. Alejo!)? given to us by our dedicated teachers & coaches, and of course the support of our friends and family.
I greatly regret I could not participate in the camaraderie of this Damien weekend. I would have really enjoyed seeing all of you again to “talk story” about our years together.
I also want to thank Irwin for taking on this big project to get us together, and mostly to get us thinking fondly of our beloved Damien Memorial High School and the people who made it great! Aloha
DR. DAVID ANTHONY NAAI (General Excellence – Silver Medal > Salutatorian) – August 2006
Twenty-five years, twenty-five pounds, and for some of us, almost twenty–five wives, or so.
The last time I was asked to speak to the Damien Class of 1981, we were all teenagers; we were all on top of the world; we had our whole lives ahead of us. I was quoting JFK and Martin Luther King and had not even a remote thought about our twenty-fifth reunion.
Most of us remember summer school. Before freshman year – the anxiety, the new faces, the locker room at PE where we learned that all men are not created equal! But we bonded, had our fights, and win or lose on or off the field, we were all still the Damien Class of 1981.
Some say that it really does not matter where you go to school; that it really is up to the individual to create his destiny. That may be true to some degree, but do you really think that we would be who we are without Brother Christensen’s dog house or hours upon hours of detention? I truly believe that the time we spent at Damien helped to mold us into the men that we have become and continues to challenge us to live lives of character and leadership and service.
I consider all of you my brothers, and as brothers I know that we will strive to continue the proud tradition embodied in our school motto Viriliter Age, Act Manfully.
EDWARD TSUTOMU NAKASHIMA (General Excellence – Bronze Medal) – April 7, 2024
Wow … it’s been 43 years since graduation. As they say, that’s a lot of water under the bridge – more like an ocean actually!
There are so many great memories of my time at Damien. I still remember hanging around in the computer room after school with Irwin and all of the other computer peeps. I also remember the class of ’82 not being very happy about ALL future Senior Days ending up cancelled due to some “unfortunate” incidents such as the minivan crashing into the side of the band room. Brother Keane (sp?) – thanks for having us memorize that miserable list of prepositions. I hated it at the time but it really helped later in all of my English courses!
As I start the next phase of life (i.e. retired!), I want to wish all of my fellow ’81 grads the best in their future endeavors. Remember, age is only a number – which looks a lot better in hexadecimal (yikes I actually just said that).
Thanks also to Irwin for keeping the Class of ’81 moving forward!