Our Buff ’n Blue ʻOhana Under One Tent: A Century of Alumni Lū‘au

Her grandmother, whom Husain describes as a one-woman advancement department at Punahou, helped bring the event to life in an era when Alumni Lū‘au was less structured and more dependent on the devotion of those who simply showed up year after year. “It was a time when people who loved Punahou just pitched in to make things happen,” she said.

That spirit has sustained Alumni Lū‘au since 1926. As Punahou celebrates the centennial of this beloved tradition, the event stands as far more than a joyful gathering. It is an enduring link to the School’s past, a living expression of alumni loyalty and a reminder of the lifelong bonds that connect generations of the Punahou ‘ohana.

Those connections were especially vivid at this year’s historic celebration, when graduating senior Ilyana Alba ’26 met Willson “Willie” Moore ’46, the only attendee from the oldest reunioning class. Despite the 80 years between their graduating classes, their connection was immediate, each fascinated by the other’s Punahou experience and grateful to be part of the historic evening.

“I am truly honored to be here and would not have missed it for the world,” Moore said.

For Alba, the moment offered a glimpse of the alumni community she was just beginning to enter. Surrounded by classmates and generations of Punahou graduates, she said the evening was one she would carry with her. “I will always remember this milestone moment,” she said.

That sense of continuity is what draws alumni back to Punahou from across Hawai‘i and around the world. For Beverly Lum-Chow ’69, Alumni Lū‘au “is more than tradition. It’s the continuity of the sense of community. It draws upon the gift of friendship.” When she was living in Atlanta, she would fly home for the event. “It’s not just a tent,” she said. “It’s about people putting their time and heart into the decorations and food, and it shows.”

Volunteers: 
The Heartbeat of Alumni Lūʻau

For a century, Alumni Lū‘au has been powered by alumni and key School departments. About 1,200 community members attended the event in the 1930s. Today, the celebration regularly draws about 2,000 guests.

Each year, the 24th Reunion Class, with the 23rd Reunion Class shadowing in preparation for the following year, organizes the Alumni Lū‘au, which in turn honors the 25th and 50th Reunion Classes. It is a domino effect of appreciation for fellow alumni. This year, the Classes of 2001 and 1976 celebrated their 25th and 50th Reunions. 

“There is no way any of this could happen without the 23rd and 24th classes,” says Doug Rigg ’84, director of Alumni Relations. “They’re gathering bamboo and ti for the imu, getting foliage for the decorations. It’s a labor of love and a super bonding experience.”

Erin Teruya ’93 Kinney, associate director of Alumni Relations, says the deep sense of tradition is part of what makes the Lū‘au so special. “People look forward to these big milestones,” she says.

Kinney and Rigg explain that Lynn Parrish, event coordinator, works with the 23rd and 24th Reunion Classes on Lū‘au logistics. Together, the two classes coordinate about 150 volunteers to work on the imu, shred the pig, handle decorations, set the tables and manage logistics, while 100 current students serve food. “It’s a team effort,” Rigg says.

Each year, Reunion committees begin meeting in August to plan Alumni Week activities for classes marking five-year milestones, from their fifth Reunion to their 70th. This year, those classes ended in 1 and 6, and their activities ranged from pickleball tournaments to cocktail parties. Two Alumni Relations team members work with the committees throughout the year, with Alumni Lū‘au serving as the culmination of the weeklong celebration.

Vicki Reisner ’69 says her 24th Reunion “was a ball. It’s a lot of work, but a lot of fun.”

Twenty-six years later, she enjoyed having her Class honored as she celebrated her 50th Reunion at the Lū‘au. She looks forward to attending again in 2028 for her 60th Reunion. “That will be the last time we go as a class because then we become kupuna,” Reisner says.

She remains impressed by the can-do ethic of her Class Reunion committee. “You ask them to do something, and they do it,” she says. 

It would be easy to spend hours listening to Scott May ’56 tell stories about his 40 years of leading the Imu Gang Emeritus, including the year he was named food chair in 1980.

Until 1956, cooking up to seven pigs in an imu was part of the Alumni Lū‘au tradition, which May volunteered for during high school. But when he headed the food committee some 25 years later, Punahou had been contracting the food out.

“I thought, well, we should bring it back in-house because that is what a lū‘au is all about. It’s not just the eating, it’s the whole process,” he remembers.

The year before, he had tasted the “pork butts cooked in steamers with liquid smoke, and it was terrible,” May says. So he recruited classmate John Kamakana Jr. ’56 to head up imu duties, and together they leaned on May’s memory to find the original imu, near where the pavilion now stands.

But not before some trial-and-error digging by the Buildings and Grounds team, which became an adventure unto itself. “There were water pipes crisscrossing the entire area, and we had water shooting up in the air,” May says with a chuckle. “I told them, don’t worry about it, we’re close.”

Food is at the heart of the Alumni Lū‘au festivities. Scott May ’56 and the Imu Gang Emeritus play an integral role in this process, as does the dedicated staff in Punahou’s Food Services department.

Kālua pig was only part of the incredible feast May planned with his team in 1980. They drew up a menu that included raw crab and ‘opihi. “We went all out,” May says. With a limited budget, Kamakana organized a foraging trip to Moloka‘i. “We went fishing and diving, we used nets, we caught crabs,” May recalls.

They even harvested coconuts. “In those days, the stores didn’t have the kind of volume of coconut milk we needed,” May says. “Our Class showed up and grated coconut from scratch.”

Over the years, May developed a standard operating procedure for the imu, trained a crew and, two years ago, began a transition plan, naming Keith Cockett ’81 as the new imu master.

“I could kick the bucket tomorrow, and I don’t have to worry about it,” May says. “The Imu Gang Emeritus now has about 25 people, and out of that, I think we have 18 active.” Still, the crew refers to May as No. 1, a nod to the numbers-in-place-of-names system Kamakana devised to keep things running smoothly.

Today, along with kālua pig, Lū‘au-goers dine on lomi salmon, ‘ahi poke, poi, chicken long rice, squid lū‘au, sweet potato, pineapple, haupia and coconut cake. The effort is overseen by Food Services Director Nelson Uyemura ’93, who follows in the footsteps of Marcia Barrett ’74 Wright, his predecessor and the beloved queen of the Lū‘au kitchen for 35 years until her retirement in 2024.

Planning starts six months out, with a meeting with events coordinator Lynn Parrish and other Alumni Relations team members. “We review the past event and start brainstorming our vision for the next Lū‘au,” Uyemura says. “This year, we are offering a vegetarian plate that includes laulau from Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi, tofu poke and long rice.”

Uyemura procures ingredients for the Lū‘au and buys local whenever possible. Each year, for example, he orders about 360 pounds of sweet potatoes from  Hawai‘i Island.

He also maintains the cooking schedules while adhering to food safety standards. Serving 2,000 guests in a timely manner requires careful attention to detail. It is a herculean effort, but worth the toil. When asked about his favorite part of the Lū‘au, Uyemura says it is watching everything come together. “As the final decorations are being put up and the musicians are testing their equipment, it is the most relaxing and fulfilling calm that I get to experience,” he says. “The calm before the storm.”

With so many talented alumni, the music and hula performances at Alumni Lū‘au have always been top-notch. As with other aspects of the event, the entertainment has developed traditions of its own.

A big part of that is the Alumni Glee Club. Founded in the early 1980s by Punahou Music School Director Donald Yap ’49, at the encouragement of alumni coordinator Joan Cooper ’51 Kaaua, the group has serenaded generations of alumni with Hawaiian music.

“I love the Alumni Lū‘au. There’s so much joy. The food is great, but the joy is even better,” says Vicky Hollinger ’59. She ought to know. As a member of the Punahou Alumni Glee Club, she performed at every Alumni Lū‘au from 1994 until the event was temporarily paused by the pandemic in 2020.

Music and tradition anchored the milestone 2026 centennial celebration. The Alumni Lū‘au featured a signature performance by Hawai‘i music icon Henry Kapono Ka‘aihue ’67, while television personality Kainoa Carlson ’07 and Punahou music faculty member Lauren Kanoelani Chang ’01 Williams co-emceed the evening. Additional musical talent included ManoaDNA’s Lloyd Kawakami ’71, celebrating his 55th reunion, alongside his sons, Alx ’04 and Nick ’01, as well as Nick La‘a ’19, Wil Tafolo ’06, DJ Utu ’21 and many others. The return of Tihati Productions to Alumni Lū‘au electrified the event tent with a dynamic showcase of Polynesian dance. Led by owner Afatia Thompson ’96, the acclaimed troupe featured many Punahou alumni and captivated the audience with vibrant performances celebrating the cultures and traditions of the Pacific.

Hollinger fondly remembers Hattie Eldredge ’66 Phillips, who led the club for more than a decade. “Hattie taught the girls their first hulas, which became an important part of our performance,” she recalls.

“Every year, we tried to honor the class that was celebrating its 50th,” Hollinger says. “I would do research to find out what their graduation songs were, and we would perform them in addition to our own numbers.” This tradition continues to bring joy to the community. 

Since 2010, the Oahu College Band, Punahou’s alumni marching and pep ensemble, has led the 50th Reunion Class into the tent, one of the most memorable moments of the evening. That tradition is what spurred OCB Director David Tanabe ’86 to join the band.

In 2011, Tanabe, a tuba player, was in the tent for his 25th reunion. “I watched in awe as the OCB entered,” he recalls. He soon asked to meet the band’s founding director, Gregory Kim ’75, to find out how to “support the cause.”

“It is joyous to be able to support Punahou, to play the fight songs, to play the alma mater Oahu‘a and yell ‘Strawberry Shortcake,’” Tanabe says. “I hope the OCB’s appearance at the Lū‘au brings the 50th Class and all alumni good memories and inspires younger alumni to join the cause, too.”

The newest entertainment tradition is a performance by Hawai‘i music icon Henry Kapono Ka‘aihue ’67. He took the stage in 2017 for his 50th Reunion, regaling his classmates at the Lū‘au, and has returned for encore performances every year since.

This year, Kapono even joined the Alumni Relations team in California for Lū‘au centennial celebrations there. “I used to eat at the Lū‘au, but now I’m playing there,” he says. “I really enjoy it. I love watching everyone having a good time.”