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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Playing a prank on the office..."}]

Smile 26 4 1

<title>Daily Smile: Wednesday, April 1, 2026</title>

Playing a prank on the office...

Daily Smile: Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Columnists

In the 1980s, at the Hawai‘i State Capitol, one senator’s office manager was working late into the evening. With her was her young daughter, while everyone else had gone home for the day. As the manager finished up her work, she awaited a phone call from her husband to let her know he was on his way to pick them up.

As they waited, her daughter said she needed to use the restroom, and the office manager quickly brought her. She didn’t want to miss her husband’s phone call, so she told her daughter to walk back through the corridor and look for the lighted doorway to her office. Several minutes passed, and the woman’s daughter hadn’t returned. She searched both men’s and women’s restrooms on the floor and then called security when she couldn’t find the girl. While the office manager was instructed to wait in the office, the security team set about searching the rest of the building.

Suddenly, the woman’s daughter appeared in the doorway, speaking to someone just out of the woman’s sight. The girl told the person that she’d found her mommy and that she would be alright. The woman rushed to hug her daughter, and then called her husband and security to let them know her daughter had returned. After closing up the office, she left the building to meet her husband in the ‘Iolani Palace parking lot, behind the Capitol building.

As they crossed the mall, headed toward the palace gate, the girl looked up at the statue of Queen Lili‘uokalani and exclaimed, “Look, Mommy, that’s the lady who helped me!”

Queen Liliʻuokalani was the last ruling monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Born on September 2, 1838, Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha was educated at the Royal School. She was fluent in both Hawaiian and English, and from an early age, developed a profound love and talent for music, composing more than 150 songs, including the famous parting song, “Aloha ‘Oe.”

The death of her brother, King David Kalākaua, in 1891 marked a turning point for the kingdom, as the nation faced increasing pressure from foreign business interests. Upon her accession, Queen Lili‘uokalani was determined to restore authority to the Hawaiian monarchy and sought to implement a new constitution that would return power to Native Hawaiians.

In 1893, the Queen’s reign was forcibly ended during the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom by a group of American businessmen, with the assistance of the U.S. Marines from the USS Boston. Following a failed counter-revolution in 1895, she was imprisoned in ‘Iolani Palace. She was held under strict house arrest, where she spent her time composing music, quilting, and translating the Kumulipo to preserve Hawaiian culture. Despite these hardships, Lili‘uokalani carried herself with unwavering grace and dignity, writing and composing music during her confinement. She was known for her profound love for her people and showed particular concern for the welfare of Hawaiian youth.

In 1975, the State Legislature authorized "The Spirit of Lili‘uokalani

standing tall and stately between the State Capitol and ‘Iolani Palace. The sculpture, installed in 1982, is a three-dimensional portrait of Queen Lili‘uokalani, wearing a sleeveless gown, with a draped sash. Around her neck is a lei niho palaoa. This lei, made of intricately braided human hair with a large whale tooth pendant in the center, was often worn by ali‘i and symbolized their mana and status. In her left hand, she holds three documents: sheet music for "Aloha ‘Oe," a page of the 1893 Hawai‘i constitution, and the Kumulipo, the ancient creation chant. 

The legacy of Queen Liliʻuokalani endures not only in the history of her kingdom but in the deep love she held for her people; so much so that some say she is still seen walking the grounds of the State Capitol. One person saw her walking through the pond surrounding the building. Others have seen her moving across the courtyard. And others say that they have seen the Queen’s statue move.

One woman’s account claims that she was just walking along the pedestrian mall behind the palace to take pictures. Standing just to the left of the statue of Queen Liliʻuokalani, she framed her shot toward the Capitol building, adjusting her camera to capture the clean lines of the structure against the sky.

While trying to focus on the building, something kept moving at the edge of her vision. She turned to look, but saw only the Queen’s statue. She dismissed it at first, but it happened again. Each time she turned her head, the statue remained motionless, standing exactly as it should. As she tried to convince herself that nothing was there, she looked anyway, moving her way around the statue, ensuring that no person or animal was hiding nearby.

Finally, she shook her head and placed herself directly in front of the statue. The woman framed her shot with the palace behind the Queen and snapped a picture. When she looked at the picture, her breath caught.

The background was sharp and clear; she could see the crisp details of the trees and the palace beyond. But the statue… The statue was blurred as if the figure had moved the moment she pressed the shutter. It was almost as if the Queen refused to stand still, reminding anyone nearby that she was still there.

As the text on the plaque below the statue states, “Ola mau ko kākou Mō‘ī Wahine i ke aloha ‘onipa‘a ma nā pu‘uwai o kāna po‘e aloha ‘āina.” 

Our Queen lives forever with steadfast devotion in the hearts of her loyal people

Queen Liliuokalani Statue

<title>In the presence of the Queen</title>

"The Spirit of Lili‘uokalani," the bronze statue of Hawai‘i's last ruling monarch, Queen Liliʻuokalani, is a physical manifestation of the Queen beside the Hawai‘i State Capitol. But people tell stories of encountering more spiritual manifestations of her presence as well.

In the presence of the Queen

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

Arts & Entertainment

Onlookers were stunned on Sunday, March 29, when the famous Scottish lake monster, affectionately known as Nessie, broached the waters of the equally famous Ala Wai Canal.

[{"type":"text","text":"ASD was first on the scene, bringing you these exclusive photos."}]

We were soon joined by noted Isle cryptozoologist Sigmund Zack, who said he was alerted by postings on the private social media channel of a secretive monster hunter society.

“I never thought I’d see the day!” said Zack. “I had been saving up all my Atmos Rewards miles for a trip to Scotland and now this happens — amazing!”

The creature kept perfectly still, head in the air, as if embarrassed to be caught in the open in broad daylight.

[{"type":"text","text":"Isn’t Nessie a little far from home? we asked."}]

“It’s 42 degrees in Loch Ness,” says noted Isle cryptozoologist Sigmund Zack. “That’s Fahrenheit, it’s sounds even worse in Centigrade, just 5 or 6 degrees! So the question isn’t, ‘Why would Nessie swim 7,000 miles to vacation in Waikīkī?” it’s ‘Why wouldn’t he?”

Zack speculated on the beast’s route across the Atlantic, down the Eastern Seaboard, through the Panama Canal, past Easter Island, finally arriving in the Islands with uncanny navigational skill. Was Waikīkī its final destination?

He shrugged. “There’s just so much we don’t know about Nessie. Its mating habits, its taste in streaming content, its connection, if any, to Big Foot. So many blanks to fill!”

Could Nessie pose a threat? If, as theories suggest, the lake monster is a Plesiosaurus, a living fossil from the Jurassic period, it’s likely to be carnivorous.

At that, Zack narrowed his eyes and dashed off a quick text message to unknown parties.

“I want to assure people,” he said to ASD, “that Nessie would never use its long neck, jagged teeth, lightning reflexes and propulsive swimming ability to pluck people from the sidewalk in a flash and drag them down into the Ala Wai as a snack. Not joggers, not kids, definitely not pets. And definitely not at night, when no one would notice. Nope. Definitely not.”

A crowd had gathered. Someone noted that the long neck and apparent humps of the sinewy serpent looked suspiciously like a log carried into the canal by the recent Kona Low deluge. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Zack threw up his hands."}]

 you to think!” he exclaimed. “Listen, people, and look at these photos,” he said, taking ASD’s iPhone and rummaging through the photos without so much as a thank you.

“The first photo is from 2:48 p.m. and the creature is clearly facing makai, looking into the feeding grounds — I mean, excuse me, the 

 — of Waikīkī. Then, just 12 minutes later, he is photographed again — by a journalist, mind you — this time facing mauka, possibly toward the ball field for leaner prey, I mean, where people play.

“Now, you tell me, what kind of log can change direction on its own, huh? Only flippers can do that!”

As he wrapped up on that conclusive, scientific point, Zack handed back ASD’s phone, took one last look at the bleached, scaly, possibly bark-like hide of the beast and walked off in a hurry.

[{"type":"text","text":"Happy April Fools’ Day, everyone!"}]

Nessie 29 March 2 48 pm 16x9

<title>Loch Ness monster spotted in Ala Wai Canal</title>

“It’s 42 degrees in Loch Ness,” says noted Isle cryptozoologist Sigmund Zack. “The question isn’t, ‘Why would Nessie swim 7,000 miles to vacation in Waikīkī?” it’s ‘Why wouldn’t he?”

Loch Ness monster spotted in Ala Wai Canal

IMG 1445

Rick Hamada

Aloha Spirit

[{"type":"text","text":"I grew up a brown boy in a white town."}]

In our small suburban town in Northwest Indiana (which serves now as a bedroom community of Chicago) my family was one of two brown families along with one black family. And we weren't even a real brown family. My stepfather and stepsister were white as the driven snow while my mom and I were definitely brown.

[{"type":"text","text":"I guess that made us a beige family."}]

It definitely made us a different family and that's all it takes to be an outcast, subject to prejudice and being bullied.  

The region where I grew up was not in the city of Chicago but about 45 miles southeast. Although in the North, there were similarities to the South in the mid-1960s; Confederate flags flying, there were two kinds of music; Country and Western, pick-up trucks (no Toyota Tacoma) and the omnipresent stares when you walked in the room. I know some of you are casting that same judgmental and call me out for stereotyping. Not at all. I'm sharing accurate description of the environment where I grew up.

A full disclosure. Not all in my town or region were bigoted. I learned over time that there are many who don't know how to process differences. Do their reactions rise to prejudice or simple ignorance? OK, possibly both. But just like Judge Robert Bork replied in his Supreme Court Justice nomination hearing that the definition of pornography is, "You'll know it when you see it", the definition of prejudice is relatively the same.

My first real experience with prejudice came in the first grade circa 1966.

I didn't grow up on the wrong side of the tracks but between two rail lines. We rented a small but functional house with home farming land, running streams and a fish stocked pond where I loved to explore. Our neighbors were a good walk away and one sat on top of a small hill.

[{"type":"text","text":"These were the Strehler boys."}]

I mentioned Confederate flags, well, here's where you found two of them. One at the entrance to their house and the other on the wall in their garage.  

[{"type":"text","text":"This is where the Strehler boy beat me up."}]

The school bus stop was in front of their house and one day coming home from school they began yelling at me on the bus.  I remember the word used most was gook. Gook? What's a gook? Well, I can say it wasn't very good.

Now the one thing about the Strehler boys they were white. I don't mean just white. I mean real Albino white. Right off the bus and it was gook this and gook that. There may have been a few chinks thrown in too but not sure. One of the boys pushed me down and started hitting me while his brother and other kids watched. I remember getting up, pushing back and it was over. A few more gooks were shared with me and that was it. Compared to the experiences of others this wasn't too bad.

The years passed and I grew up in that house and in that neighborhood. Got to play with and get to know other kids and the Strehler boys were part of that group. Then seemingly out of the blue the one Strehler boy started up the racist (I said I was growing up) stuff again. I told him to (insert profanity) and, well, it was on. We had a neighborhood city park in our hood and Strehler boy No. 1 said to meet him there and he'd beat the (insert profanity) outta me. OK, game on.

Remember I mentioned the boys being Albino white? I forgot to mention they grew to be short. We were about 12 or 13 years old at the time, and I was pretty tall and thick. We couldn't have been any more different. 

I rode my bike down to the ball field where the Strehler boys and a good number of kids had assembled. Strehler's vocabulary had developed over the years with impressive hateful and spiteful language he shared as I approached, Strehler got into fight mode, I took a swing and knocked him out with one punch. Strehler sat up looking much worse for wear, I spoke to a couple of buddies who were there then I got on my bike and left the last days of bullying as a kid.

[{"type":"text","text":"It was a simpler time but there is no simple bullying."}]

My story is straightforward. Verbal taunts, offensive encounters and a fistfight. Interestingly, I can recall some of these details from over 50 years ago. But it doesn't haunt me nor did it have a grave impact on my life. I had closure and some would maintain it's the wrong closure. You can't solve differences with violence. 

[{"type":"text","text":"I solved my issues with the Strehler boys."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"I never heard from them again."}]

A couple of generations later, we are in a completely different world which calls for different tactics.

I'd urge you to connect with a local organization called B.R.A.V.E Hawai‘i with the acronym standing for Be Respectful And Value Everyone. (

CEO and Founder Mahealani Sims-Tulba shared her own experience with bullying as a pre-teen turning a negative into a wonderful positive. Authoring a bullying themed children's book as a child herself allowed her to reach thousands of peers who were receptive of her uplifting messages. Now, over a decade later, Sims-Tulba's dedication to advocacy and education continues with expansion into leadership academy, creation of a recognition event for those who show similar dedication to the mission and increasing the reach of B.R.A.V.E to even more.

There will be a fundraising concert for B.R.A.V.E featuring comedy and more with Augie T., Bu Lai'ia and Sisa Grey.

Comedy for a Cause is on Saturday, April 11, 8 p.m. at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Tickets start at only $20 and best to purchase at the Blaisdell Box Office or 

I am fortunate to have faced discrimination and active bullying as a youth. It was not the norm to talk to parents, school official or to dodge a fight. You just played the hand you were dealt.

These days our kids are facing an expansive and very public bullying that can tear at souls. The effects of depression, helplessness and isolation does take a terrible toll on the mental health of those victimized. The celebration of violence on social media, filming huge fights on school grounds and the lack of awareness or preparedness by most parents is a battle of a unique nature.

I've always maintained that it's between the four walls where we can find solutions to family issues. There are times when you have to open the door and welcome in those who are dedicated and skillful to partner in addressing serious issues such as bullying.

Learn more about the real world of bullying via B.R.A.V.E and how you can be effective in your own home while helping others when your invited in.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"italic"}],"text":" "}]

bullying I Stock 185090783

<title>Hamada: Answers to bullying, good and bad</title>

When growing up on the Mainland, ASD columnist Rick Hamada confronted boyhood bullies the old fashioned way. Here and now in the Islands, a local organization is doing great work solving the problem positively. Here's how you can help.

Hamada: Answers to bullying, good and bad

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Government & Politics

At the Otake Store, it was dark yesterday morning. There still was no power.

And Wendell Toki, who lost almost everything in the recent Kona Low storms, was keeping track of one generator, which was being loaned out to run electric power tools that are helping families rebuild.

By about 12:30 p.m., the lights were finally back on in the store and a few residences, he told Aloha State Daily by phone Tuesday.

His house, which is part of Otake Camp, located off Farrington Highway in Waialua, is now in demolition condition. He also lost mamaki and plants he uses for food and medicine, plus 180 chickens in the flood.  

On Monday, March 30, the sun was shining. Birds were chirping. Toki was standing in dried mud explaining how a green house slid parallel to the Kaukonahua Stream, past other residences and straight into homes that now sit vacant.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A muddy puzzle"}]

There are plans to rebuild, but the houses sit abandoned. Doors open. Inside, the floors hold mud thick with things: plastic bottles, a shoe here, a puzzle there.

The mud surrounds a chair in the middle of one of the rooms. It preserves handprints on the walls.

The community needs generators, lumber and food for workers, Toki said. He pauses at the front of the door of the house closest to the stream. Parts of the wall are missing, creating windows to the brown water below.

A nearby house has a desk covered in mud. It holds bright crayons, markers and paper flowers, and something there is not much of: color.

In the house next door, there bright puzzles on the wall. One — a pink and yellow jaguar — is peeling. Where the water was, the design is gone and only cardboard remains.

[{"type":"text","text":"Many, including Toki, don’t have flood insurance."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A birthday to forget"}]

Down the road, the military is helping farmers like Thy Cavan, who had about two acres of green papayas and bananas, and lost nearly everything in the flood.

Cavan remembers the day the storm hit because it was his birthday: Friday, March 20. The day he lost two cars, his home and the entire papaya crop.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Lost almost everything,” he said. “Some bananas survived.”"}]

National Guard were deployed alongside the Navy

 to remove flood debris from Waialua. They helped Cavan shovel mud out of his house.

He stands next to a mud-covered blue tractor. It was a total loss. So was his generator. And his cell phone.

With a cigarette in hand, he pointed to a spot on a wood beam, which supports the roof over his tractor, to share how high the water got.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"“About right here,” he said."}]

The line is above the steering wheel. It is higher than his shoulders.

It is also visible on the side of the house, where muddy water got nearly to the roof. When it receded, it left tracks on the top of the tractor, like a dried up mud flat.

Cavan realized he could not stay and went to the main road, where a rescue group picked him up. Now, he is staying with friends, and gets to his farm by walking or getting dropped off.

Without a car, he can’t travel easily. Two days ago, he started a 

. His top priorities are fixing the tractor and getting back wheels.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A new start "}]

Back up the road, near the Otake Store, Toki points to the space upstairs where he will live while he puts together a new life. Toki also has a 

, which was set up by Nicole Correa, his hānai niece.

 and is imagining a shipping container as a home, with a deck built by a neighbor.

“I'm hardly home anyway,” he said. “Only sleep there, and then the rest of the days I'm working.”

Outside, the birds are still chirping. The sun beats down and Toki is reflecting on how to help farmers.

“They need local support,” he said. “More local support.”

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Otake Camp

<title>What’s next for Otake Camp?</title>

Some residents of Otake Camp are still in the dark. Farmers lost crops. Families lost homes. And everywhere, the mud prevails. They are seeking generators, lumber and funds to restart.

What’s next for Otake Camp?

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Earlier this month, Saks Global Enterprises announced it will close three more Neiman Marcus stores (along with 12 Saks Fifth Avenue locations) across the U.S. — including the 

This location, along with its iconic Mariposa restaurant, opened in 1998. Since then, the restaurant has become a popular option for business power lunches, gatherings with friends, and a spot to relax and watch the Friday night fireworks over Waikīkī.

The Neiman Marcus Ala Moana store and Mariposa restaurant’s closure date has not been announced.

Aloha State Daily talked with several customers and former staff members about some of their favorite memories at the restaurant, as they prepare to say “a hui hou” to Mariposa.

Lance Kosaka, former executive chef at Mariposa

Aloha State Daily (ASD): What was a highlight of your time at the restaurant as executive chef?

: The best memories were (of) the people; the customers were really nice. We did so many events.

ASD: The eatery’s sunset lounge menu started while you were there, right?

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"italic"}],"text":"ASD: Do you have a favorite dish on the menu?"}]

: We ran some special things. For the sunset lounge, we did lemon pepper shrimp and we used to do arancini, like ochazuke arancini. That was one of my favorite things.

ASD: Do you have anything else you wanted to add?

: It was a lovely space, one of the most beautiful dining rooms, just how it was set (up).

Maria Kawananakoa, longtime Mariposa customer

ASD: Can you remember the first time you dined at Mariposa?

: Maybe when they first opened about 28 years ago. I can’t remember the first time, but I remember we had lots of great events there — birthday parties, sunsets and Friday night fireworks.

ASD: Do you have a go-to order or favorite dish?

: Their popovers are amazing. The dish I always order is the chopped salad with salmon. It’s healthy, clean and good.

ASD: What were some of your favorite memories there?

: There are so many — being at the bar with my husband, who has passed away; we had dinner there a lot. I had my girlfriend’s bridal shower there, lots of birthdays, lot of Friday evenings. Lots of lunches; I spend most lunches at Mariposa. It’s just a great place to connect with friends and enjoy that indoor/outdoor atmosphere. There’s always great service and beautiful smiles.

That’s the go-to place for many business lunches, and on Friday evenings, for live Hawaiian music and sunset. There’s nothing really like it — watching the sunsets and fireworks (on Fridays) shortly after, with good food and great company.

Lawrence Nakamoto, former executive chef at Neiman Marcus; current chef/owner of Tango Contemporary Café

ASD: How long were you the executive chef at Mariposa?

: About six years, but I was there previously as the sous chef and line cook. In total, I was there for 10 years.

ASD: What were some of your favorite memories during your time there?

: For us in the kitchen, we had a really good crew; it was a good place to work. It’s very hard to find that kind of job where you don’t mind going into work. We had a really fun time on the line working, even though it was busy.

As a sous chef, I had a lot of support from the former executive chef. That’s where I got my basis for what I’m doing now; getting feedback from customers and servers for what I’m doing now.

ASD: What were some of your responsibilities at executive chef?

: On top of Mariposa, I was responsible for making sure the events through the whole store were catered to. We would have some luncheons on different floors for the customers of that specific brand; we would have fashion shows and we would have to do passed appetizers. There were a lot of different events going on through that whole store.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"italic"}],"text":"ASD: What were some memorable ones for you?"}]

: Always the Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival; we did the kick-off event at Mariposa. That was a fun one we used to do every year; all the chefs would come.

ASD: Did you have a favorite dish on the menu?

: The scallop with dashi butter and nori pesto; we served that with some risotto. That was one of my favorites we put on the menu.

ASD: Is there anything else you wanted to add?

: I owe a lot to my time there; that was really my first chef position. I owe my time there to the company for giving me that opportunity.

ASD: Do you remember your first visit to Mariposa?

: So (executive chef) Marc was still there; probably 2002 or 2003, in the early 2000s. We were from the Big Island, so here we were, in the “big city” (Honolulu). It was suggested that we go and try the restaurant out. My husband and I went in there and we just sat and stared; it was so beautiful and so big. We sat at the table close to where the glass divider to the outside lanai is. It was so wonderful; I can’t even remember what we ordered, except that I loved the popovers. At that time, they had a liliko

i butter; it wasn’t like the other restaurants that had strawberry. I really liked it. We had the chicken broth, and we thought we had hit the jackpot.

I believe Yoon was our first server. We sat right there, right in front of Magic Island, and it was so nice. I remember, a few months later, being invited for a dinner that was given at Neiman Marcus for a pianist. It was such a treat to go there; we had never been there at night. It was unbelievable, it was so beautiful; I remember it was a full moon. Everybody was so gracious, and the food was spectacular.

ASD: Speaking of food, do you have a favorite dish at the restaurant?

: I would always get the ‘ahi salad, but I would say, “Don’t give me any greens.” Just give me a scoop of rice and the ‘ahi. That’s what I would have every single time I went; that was my favorite.

ASD: Any specific memories stand out from the times you went there?

: There’s a group of us that have done our birthdays at Mariposa for many years; we’re called “The Darling Dozen” — there’s 12 of us — and we always celebrate everybody’s birthdays throughout the year. Once a month, we all get together. (When the news came out about the store’s closure), we were all looking at each other, going, “Where are we going to go? Where are we going to celebrate our birthdays?” Every month we would all get together, and it means so much to us. 

ASD: Do you have anything else you would like to share?

: It has the best view and the most wonderful people working there. One special lady is Yoon; she’s been there for a long time. She’s always been a wonderful lady. I’ve been there long enough to see her daughter grow. There are a lot of people that have worked there for years. All the chefs have been wonderful, the food has always been great, and the service has always been fabulous. It’s just the most wonderful place to meet and be with your friends.

We’re going to miss the oxtail soup special down at the café on Thursdays — the line was always long — and just every aspect of Neiman Marcus and the restaurants, the memories that it holds for all of us. It’s becoming a reality and it’s becoming very sad to think about not being able to come there. Neiman Marcus in and of itself was such a wonderful place; you would always know somebody when you were there walking around.

[{"type":"text","text":"I’m very sad that it’s closing; it’s the closing of an era."}]

Mariposa interior 033026

<title>Memories of Mariposa</title>

Aloha State Daily talks with several customers and former staff members about their favorite memories of the iconic Ala Moana Center eatery, as they prepare to say “A hui hou” to Neiman Marcus and Mariposa.

Memories of Mariposa

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Larry Price, an influential figure in each setting he graced his presence with in the Islands, died peacefully on Friday. He was 91.  

Price was a defensive tackle on the University of Hawai‘i football team from 1961 to 1964. He then went on to coach UH as an assistant coach from 1967 to 1973 before taking over as head coach from 1974 to 1976. 

Following his coaching career, Price left an indelible mark on local media in Hawai‘i. Along with Michael W. Perry, he co-hosted Perry & Price on KSSK for 33 years. The show was one of the state's most prominent and popular shows during its run from 1983 to 2016. All the while, Price regularly wrote a column for MidWeek and also served as a color commentator on local high school football broadcasts. 

Price is also remembered for the value he placed on education. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree, as well as a Master of Business Administration from University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He went on to earn a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Southern California, and even completed additional work as a post-doctorate student at Stanford University.

Price paid his education forward, teaching MBA courses at Chaminade University of Honolulu. Through various initiatives and endeavors, he encouraged and guided countless local youths in the pursuit of higher education. 

Price's family provided a statement to select media on Friday announcing his death: 

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Larry D. Price of Honolulu, Hawai‘i, on March 27, 2026. He passed peacefully.

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