Bob Sigall, Author at Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Rearview Mirror: Former military academy is now a school and a park

Bob Sigall — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Let’s begin this column with a question: Which location on Oahu was once Punahou’s farm, a school for boys and a military academy? Kaimuki High School was there until its current campus was built in 1949.

Rearview Mirror: Stories from our past still as engaging as ever

Bob Sigall — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Every now and then I find myself with several short stories that are not large enough to take up a full column on their own. They don’t share a common theme, so I just call them “da kine stories.”

Rearview Mirror: Hawaii in comic strips

Bob Sigall — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Reader Melvin Masuda wrote to me recently. “Long ago, the ‘Dick Tracy’ comic strip featured then-Honolulu Police Chief Dan Liu.

Rearview Mirror: Probing deep into matters of kimchi

Bob Sigall — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 10:05:00 +0000

I wrote about kimchi last month, and many readers told me their stories that involved that spicy, fermented cabbage. Today we’ll look into exploding kimchi, trading kimchi for a car, going AWOL for kimchi and the kimchi house discount.

Rearview Mirror: Hawaii residents recall times with Obama and his ohana

Bob Sigall — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 10:05:00 +0000

I recently wrote about President Obama’s father, Barack Obama Sr., and his three years in Hawaii.

Rearview Mirror: Hawaii swimmers had outsize presence at 1952 Olympics

Bob Sigall — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The Summer Olympics in Paris get underway in four weeks. It’s something I always look forward to. Today, however, I thought I’d look back 72 years at the 1952 Helsinki Games, when three swimmers from McKinley High School helped put the United States at the top of the medal count.

Rearview Mirror: Animal tales in Hawaii provide interesting fodder

Bob Sigall — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 10:05:00 +0000

This week I have stories about three species of animals. No, this isn’t a “Wild Kingdom” television episode. These animals are tame. This week we’ll look into the Budweiser Clydesdales in Hawaii, a mynah bird named Little Doc and a poodle named Gigi.

Rearview Mirror: Annual awards bestowed for contributions to Hawaii

Bob Sigall — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 10:05:00 +0000

Every year at this time, I present my Rearview Mirror Annual Awards to honor those who made, preserved or shared Hawaii history. This week and next, I’ll highlight those I feel deserve special recognition.

Rearview Mirror: Things I enjoyed learning this year, Part 2

Bob Sigall — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 10:13:00 +0000

Last week I looked back at the more interesting stories I covered in 2023. One of the reasons I enjoy writing this column is that there is so much I learn about Hawaii people, places and organizations. Here’s Part 2 of that column.

Rearview Mirror: Former Outrigger CEO recalls Pearl Harbor attack at age 7

Bob Sigall — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 10:05:00 +0000

I often look for a story about World War II for the first week in December to honor those who fought and died for our freedom. Recently, Frank Haas and I interviewed David Carey, former president of Outrigger Hotels, about Richard “Doc” Kelley, who had been CEO of Outrigger.

Rearview Mirror: Hawaii institutions mark key anniversaries in 2023

Bob Sigall — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 10:05:00 +0000

I think it’s important to take notice and congratulate the companies, schools and nonprofit organizations that have managed to stick around and continue to serve the community for 50 or more years.

Rearview Mirror: The top 12 most fondly remembered Oahu restaurants

Bob Sigall — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 10:05:00 +0000

What are the most fondly Oahu remembered restaurants that are, sadly, no longer with us? I asked readers to vote for their top 10. Over 150 of you did.

Rearview Mirror: The Beatles and a local man, and other stories

Bob Sigall — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 10:05:00 +0000

While this column often focuses on one story, sometimes I find myself with several short stories that are unrelated, that I think readers will enjoy.

Rearview Mirror: Retail giant Gem had lasting impact on Hawaii

Bob Sigall — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 10:05:00 +0000

One of the things I like about writing this column is the interesting people I get to meet. While writing my first “Companies We Keep” book, one person I particularly enjoyed talking story with was Glenn Kaya.

Rearview Mirror: From Lahaina to Washington with aloha

Bob Sigall — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 10:05:00 +0000

I love finding stories that connect dots that are seemingly unrelated. This week’s column begins with the Pioneer Inn, which tragically burned down in Lahaina last month.

Rearview Mirror: Tales from Hurricanes Iwa and Iniki warn us to keep prepared

Bob Sigall — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 10:05:00 +0000

Two of the worst hurricanes to hit Hawaii in recent times have come in September and November. Their names were Iniki and Iwa.

Rearview Mirror: Son shares stories of Columbia Inn legend

Bob Sigall — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 10:05:00 +0000

In July I wrote about Tosh Kaneshiro, owner of the Columbia Inn on Kapiolani Boulevard near South Street. Tosh was a baseball fan. He was a big supporter of the L.A. Dodgers as well as the Hawaii Islanders.

Rearview Mirror: Short subjects: 500-foot-tall statue and baseball pioneer

Bob Sigall — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:05:00 +0000

Usually, my column is about one topic. But this week I’ve strung a few short subjects together. They’re all based on things people have said to me in the past month.

Rearview Mirror: Pitcher and blond bombshell left an impact on the islands

Bob Sigall — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 10:05:00 +0000

I had lunch with Gene Kaneshiro last week. He showed me a photo of the Columbia Inn Roundtable All-Star baseball team from the early 1970s. I recognized most of the players — Joe Moore, Bob Sevey, Jim Leahey, Larry Price, Danny Kaleikini, Jimmy Borges — but who was the young kid at the end?

Rearview Mirror: Kiddie Matinee Clubs provided Saturday morning entertainment

Bob Sigall — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 10:05:00 +0000

Laurence Wiig, who says he’s now 81 and living in Oregon, suggested I write about the Saturday Kiddie Matinee Movie Clubs that many Hawaii theaters had in the mid-1930s to early 1960s.

Rearview Mirror: Celebrating significant anniversaries in 2023

Bob Sigall — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 10:05:00 +0000

Some Hawaii companies and nonprofits have been around for 50 or 100 years, and some for nearly 200 years. The kingdom of Hawaii became a republic, then a territory and a state in the past two centuries.

Rearview Mirror: Columbia Inn’s ‘Tosh’ Kaneshiro was world’s greatest Dodger fan

Bob Sigall — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 10:04:00 +0000

One of the greatest family restaurants in Hawaii history, in my opinion, was the Columbia Inn. It wasn’t a fancy place like the Third Floor or Canlis, but it had good, affordable food and was open 24 hours a day.

Rearview Mirror: Hawaii residents banded together when hurricanes wreaked havoc

Bob Sigall — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 10:05:00 +0000

June marks the beginning of hurricane season in the Central Pacific. Hurricanes Dot (1959), Iwa (1982), and Iniki (1992) were the most consequential in recent times. They left over $6 billion in damage in their wake.

Rearview Mirror: Buzz’s Original Steak House featured different iterations

Bob Sigall — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 10:05:00 +0000

Buzz Schneider had a talent for starting things. His first restaurant, Buzz’s Steak ‘n’ Lobster, opened in July 1957 in Waikiki. In the following decades there would be over 20 restaurants in his orbit.

Rearview Mirror: Actor Tom Selleck captured in many islanders’ photos

Bob Sigall — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 10:05:00 +0000

I asked readers who they managed to have a photo with. Did they cross paths with a celebrity and have a photo to prove it? Last month I shared stories of their meeting Neil Diamond, Willard Scott, Beatrice Wood and Nancy and Ronald Reagan.

Rearview Mirror: Punchbowl, nuclear power, Flamingo eateries spur interest

Bob Sigall — Fri, 26 May 2023 10:05:00 +0000

My email inbox is usually overflowing with reader comments and questions. Sometimes they ask things I have never considered, such as when Punchbowl was first considered as a cemetery, or about proposed nuclear power plants on Oahu. Let’s take a look.

Rearview Mirror: Readers recall their brush with greatness through photos

Bob Sigall — Fri, 19 May 2023 10:05:00 +0000

I met R. Buckminster Fuller, the inventor of the geodesic dome, a few times when he was in Hawaii around 1980. I have a photo of us somewhere.

Rearview Mirror: Broadcaster started career calling for Hawaii Islanders

Bob Sigall — Fri, 12 May 2023 10:05:00 +0000

One of the greatest broadcasters in sports history, in my opinion, is Al Michaels.

Rearview Mirror: Neighborhoods’ character produced nicknames

Bob Sigall — Fri, 05 May 2023 10:05:00 +0000

Jeffrey Young asked, “Can you find out where ‘Chinese Hollywood’ is and how it got its nickname?

Rearview Mirror: Readers relive close encounters with Jack Lord, ‘Hawaii Five-0’

Bob Sigall — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 10:05:00 +0000

In March I wrote about the original “Hawaii Five-0,” which ran from 1968 to 1980. Several readers told me about their experiences with the long-running TV show.

Rearview Mirror: Street vendors left their mark before modern supermarkets

Bob Sigall — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 10:05:00 +0000

A few months ago I wrote about vendors who drove, biked or walked though residential communities selling milk, ice cream, pastries, meat, vegetables, fish, manapua, tofu, ice, brooms, etc.

Rearview Mirror: Shaka’s origin evolves through the years as readers chime in

Bob Sigall — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 10:05:00 +0000

On April 7 I wrote about the somewhat obscure history of that thumb-and-pinkie wave we call shaka. It brought in several interesting comments from readers. Here are some of them.

Rearview Mirror: Decades-old shaka conveys aloha for Hawaii’s people and culture

Bob Sigall — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 10:05:00 +0000

Recently, Steve Sue, who is making the documentary “Shaka, the Story of Aloha,” interviewed me about that local thumb-and-pinkie wave we do here. In preparing for it, I decided to take all the things I know about the shaka and put it in a timeline. It helped me gain some perspective on it.

Rearview Mirror: Bed races, National Dollar Stores pique interest

Bob Sigall — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 10:05:00 +0000

People ask me all the time where I get the ideas for my columns. Many of them come from questions readers send me. Here are three I’ve gotten in the past few weeks.

Rearview Mirror: Temperature, snow and eating pizza among first impressions of mainland

Bob Sigall — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 10:05:00 +0000

Ronnie Belasco in Sacramento, Calif., suggested a topic for today: “Ask your readers what their first impressions of the mainland were, when they landed.

Rearview Mirror: Longtime favorite ‘Hawaii Five-O’ celebrates its 55th anniversary

Bob Sigall — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 10:05:00 +0000

The first TV show that was set in Hawaii is celebrating its 55th anniversary this year.

Rearview Mirror: Pizza, Lucky Luck, automats conjure up memorable stories

Bob Sigall — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 10:05:00 +0000

Every month or two, I dedicate a column to answer a few reader inquiries. This week I’ll explore the history of pizza in Hawaii, Lucky Luck’s tavern, the 1949 Merci Train, Henry Berger and automats.

Rearview Mirror: Readers share amusing stories of police encounters

Bob Sigall — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 10:05:00 +0000

Two weeks ago I wrote about amusing interactions between the public and local police officers. These are the kind of stories that often don’t appear in the newspaper — they’re not really news — but fit perfectly in this column.

Rearview Mirror: 2 new books about Hawaii capture delightful memories

Bob Sigall — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 10:04:00 +0000

Two new books have come out recently that I have found to be both historical and delightful. One is by Jane M. Goodsill, whose father, Marshall Goodsill, was a well-known Hawaii lawyer.

Rearview Mirror: Public interactions with police produce memorable stories

Bob Sigall — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 10:05:00 +0000

Recently, I asked readers of my Insider email newsletter about their interactions with local police officers. As you might imagine, they had several interesting stories. Let’s take a look.