Punahou President Mike Latham ’86 recently went on a bicoastal tour to visit with alumni on the West and East coasts.
San Francisco
Punahou Alumni Association Northern California (PAANC) hosted a reception at the Presidio Officers’ Club on Feb. 25 in San Francisco that drew nearly 100 guests. There were also receptions in New York City and Washington, D.C.
The San Francisco visit – Latham’s first since becoming Punahou president in July 2019 – gave alumni the chance to hear about his vision for the School and his personal experience returning to Hawai’i and Punahou. The reception was also a fun reunion of Latham’s classmates and friends, including a middle school best friend and a former prom date.
New York City
Punahou Alumni Association New York (PAANY) welcomed Latham to New York City on Feb. 29 at a warm and lively reception at the Cornell Club. The city was a familiar stop for Latham, who spent 18 years at Fordham University earlier in his career.
A range of alumni attended, including recent graduates studying in New York, as well as alumni from every decade, including Latham’s own class. Jarret Yoshida ’86 introduced Latham to the crowd and joked that the chosen professions of some classmates was sometimes surprising, but that the appointment of Latham as president of Punahou was a solid one.
Latham talked about the School’s strategic priorities, his return to Honolulu and the importance of Punahou’s loyal alumni community to the School.
Guests caught up and lingered long past the event’s end, enjoying homemade caramel cuts flown in from Honolulu, and the familiar “Oahu a” and “Strawberry Shortcake” to cap the night.
Washington D.C.
Washington, D.C. was the final stop on Latham’s spring road tour. Punahou Alumni Association Mid-Atlantic (PAAMA) hosted an afternoon reception March 1 at the University Club, and alumni of all ages enjoyed the opportunity to introduce themselves and get to know him better.
Punahou Trustee Steve Case ’76, who resides in Washington, D.C., introduced Latham and explained the exhaustive search that resulted in his selection. In one of the most poignant moments of the event, alumni joined hands to sing, “Hawai‘i Aloha.”