I am nominating Didi Alama principally because of her contributions to the Class of '69. She has been involved in almost every Class of '69 activity since our graduation 45+ years ago. Most recently she co-chaired KHS' involvement in the 65th Honolulu Birthday Bash and also served as one of the emcees for that event. Without her help, many of these events would not have happened. Without a doubt, she can be considered our KHS Class of '69 MVP!
Didi Alama has been a precious friend not only to the Class of '69, but to her friends outside of our class, her family and to the Hawai'i community. Whenever anyone needs help, Didi never asks about the difficulty of the task. She jumps right in. In school, she was always there to make things work for us. She took on hard jobs, sometimes alone and not expecting any thanks or recognition. This seems to be her philosophy of life. Wherever she is needed, that's where you will find her. Didi has helped with charitable events with organizations such as the Kaimuki Business and Professional Association. She is also a supporter of the Royal Hawaiian Band. Sometimes Didi helps behind the scenes, as a quiet, mildmannered individual. However, once in a while, she will don her alter ego and performs onstage as "Didi the Magician"! Yes, among her secret talents is MAGIC! As part of her solo act, she makes fun balloon animals.
After high school, Didi began working at Liberty Bank. (Only people of our vintage could remember Liberty Bank.) She then worked for First Interstate Bank, and she worked for Central Pacific Bank, until early 2016.
I can personally attest to her professional acumen. Once, at the Kaimuki Branch, where she was the operations manager, she stopped my elderly father from withdrawing about $5,000 that Didi somehow knew was intended for some scam artists. Thank you, Didi!!
Didi currently lives in our wonderful hometown neighborhood of Kapahulu.
Did you know that Didi loves hula? Hula is a huge part of her heritage. Her aunties, Leilani and Puanani Alama, were the longest-lived practicing hula instructors in Hawai'i. On Sunday, August 3, 2014, Didi and our classmates, Marsha Yonemori and Carolyn Okubo Tokunaga performed at the Waikiki Bandstand in Hawai'i's longest-running, free hula performance which was created and supported by Didi's aunties!
Didi enjoys traveling and looks forward to doing more when she retires. She has been to Canada, Asia and Europe. She is a cruise veteran and has taken cruises to Catalina Island, Mexico, the Inside Passage to Alaska and a Disney cruise in the Caribbean.
Didi has many happy memories of high school pep rallies and football games. Her very fondest memories are of the cheering and competition between the classes. She felt that we had the best school spirit and the best pep squad of any school. Didi looks forward to seeing everyone at the next reunion.
Yes, Didi Alama should be named the MVP of the KHS Class of '69.
