And the lifetime achievement award for customer service goes to … Eric Kimura!
Yes, Eric, the guy who played cards in the band room with Marvin Kumashiro, Leonard Ringor, Glenn Suzuki, Harvey Yamauchi and others. Yes, Eric, who was on the JV wrestling team. Yes, Eric, who was a member of the social group, The Barons. Yes, that Eric.
One of the greatest status symbols for a guy in high school was having his own car. A car had the power to fashionably transport him and his inner circle off campus during school hours (this is entirely different from cutting class where one runs off campus like a common thug). Eric’s “chick magnet” was a 1963 V-8 Plymouth Belvedere. And how did Eric use his car? He chose customer service and took Marvin, Leonard, Glenn, Harvey and David Tsue to and from school every day.
This eventually led Eric to a long career with the Honolulu Department of Customer Service, culminating as the department’s division administrator. The department is responsible for servicing all the satellite city halls and operates the Hawai‘i driver licensing centers, motor vehicle registrations and state identification services. As its top civil servant, day-to-day responsibilities rested with Eric.
Providing customer service to almost one million people on O‘ahu for 36 years was no easy task. Have you ever tried convincing an elderly woman (someone way older than 67) that the reason she didn’t pass the vision test for her driver license renewal was not because of “poor testing machines,” but that the cataracts and glaucoma she mentioned having might have played a role?
And what did Eric do after he retired? He became a Hawaii Kai Lions Club member. One of his responsibilities was to assist in the annual Hawaii Kai Christmas Parade. At Kaimuki, Eric was used to making floral floats under advisor Raymond Wong. For one homecoming, Eric spent all night helping to decorate Neal Imamura’s Chevy. Unfortunately, they covered up just a tad too much of his windshield which prevented Neal from seeing a small building while driving, leaving Kaimuki with one less float.
Can you guess the Lions Club’s motto? It’s “We serve.” Eric Kimura has done that for our community for many years, and we thank him for his service.
