A memorial service is about sharing memories about a loved one. Scott Metcalf was loved by many.
Attended by more than a thousand individuals, Scott Metcalf’s memorial service was celebrated on Sunday, August 3, 2014 in the Hemmeter Field House on the Punahou School campus.
The school gym was an appropriate location for the occasion. Scott had spent thousands of hours in its environs as a volleyball player, the school’s Director of Facilities, and the scorer for various competitions. The latter experience was integrated into the event when the gym scoreboard buzzed to announce the start the service.
Music was appropriately part of the event and featured the musical talents of Punahou74 classmates Charlie Pacarro, Wendell Ho, and Phil Ogata. Other alumni musicians included Barry Choy ’76 and Pal Eldredge ’64.
The first speaker, Matt Martinson ’79, represented the “Campus Brats”: the children of faculty and staff who grew up on campus. He described Scott as a “rough and tumble kid” with a “glow of happiness surrounding him and a touch of mischief in his eyes.” Martinson concluded that Scott “grew to be one of the most honest, dependable, kind and generous friends that he knew. That is why we love him so much.”
Other speakers included:
- Kevin Velasco ’85 who welcomed everyone and provided the closing remarks.
- Kawika Lucas ’94, a former Punahou soccer player, who thanked Scott for being a great coach.
- Scott’s father Tom “Tiger” Metcalf who recounted when a seventh grade Scott was near tears upon learning that his only “A” would be lost–P.E. was going to be graded on a pass/fail basis.
- Former Punahou Athletic Director Doug Bennett who remembered a young Scott Metcalf who raced to P. E. class and an older Scott Metcalf who was integral to Punahou’s emergence as an athletic power house both in the state of Hawaii and on a national level.
- Scott’s daughters, Ashley ’04 and Michelle ’02, who remembered their father’s idiosyncrasies (including a love of everything Disney) and danced a hula for him.
- Malia Ane ’72 who led the crowd in a rousing “Strawberry Shortcake” and other Punahou cheers.
- Kyle Metcalf ’68, Scott’s brother, who added some comic relief while thanking all who had helped assemble the service.
Ono Hawaiian and other refreshments were offered afterwards in Dole Cafeteria where Punahou74 classmates joined together to reminisce. Among those attending from out of town were Ron Nelson, Yuriko Wellington, Jay Higgins, Betsy Abts, and Kathy Macdonald. It was great to see these classmates make the effort given the short notice involved.
But, the big Punahou74 story was written the day before the event when dozens of Punahou74 classmates worked tirelessly to decorate the cafeteria and gym. It was our gift to Scott. Read more about that in a future blog post.
Two Videos
As always, a picture is worth a thousand words. While I haven’t written a thousand of them, take a short cut to learn more about what happened: enjoy Gaye Miyasaki’s tribute to Scott Metcalf below. It includes photos from the memorial as well as video clips of Punahou74 class members sharing their memories of Scott. Thanks, Gaye, for putting this together for everyone to enjoy!
Please also enjoy a video of Heidi Hemming’s comments immediately below Gaye’s video. Gaye could not get the video into her tribute and I do not want to let Heidi’s words go unsaid.
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Thank you, Lynne, for this lovely write up.