Events

Mr. Reece was raised in a community of musicians and grew up playing string instruments, including Hawaiian style slide guitar, pedal steel and dobro. To the dismay of his parents, at a young age he began disassembling his families prized collection of guitars. At age 12 (at his families insistence that he learn to re-assemble the many instruments strewn in pieces about the house) he began studying luthiery, eventually going on to work with the renowned builder Richard Hoover of the Santa Cruz Guitar Company. After studying Jazz theory and improvisation with Ray Brown at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, Mr. Reece followed his love of Jazz and American roots music to New York City. There he Studied Jazz History in Brooklyn with Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra director Loren Schoenberg, and Jazz guitar with Gene Bertoncini while working towards a degree in History from Friends World College as an intern with the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. After moving to O‘ahu in 2001, Kilin became steeped in Hawaiian instrument making traditions while working at Ko‘olau Guitar and ‘Ukulele Company before founding his own shop, KR Strings, and earning himself a place among Hawai‘i’s top luthiers.

In between building and restoring instruments, traveling to Cremona, Italy to study violin making and playing in the Bluegrass band Saloon Pilots, Mr. Reece continued learning from the community of musicians and instruments that found their way to his restoration studio door. Realizing as a result of these visits, that the Martin Dreadnought acoustic guitar that he had been playing for decades as a Bluegrass guitarist traced its origins to the Hawaiian kingdom, and that the first electric guitar ever made was a Hawaiian Lap Steel guitar, he was inspired to learn more. Mr. Reece began working with the C.F. Martin Guitar Company Archives, the Library of Congress, Bishop Museum and the Hawai‘i State Archives, spending hundreds of hours unraveling the compelling story of our musical partners of wire and wood. In 2019, Mr. Reece founded the nonprofit Kealakai Center for Pacific Strings with a mission to research, restore and celebrate the pivotal role that Hawaiian, and Pacific music and musicians have played in the evolution of popular music, a legacy of global influence that endures today.

Dear Sunrisers,

We hope to see you all tomorrow!  In our excitement to reconnect with friends, please remember to wear facemasks and limit your cohorts to less than 5 people at a time.  To reduce waste - please bring your own water.  We have a few friends from Rotary Club Metro joining us who will be providing re-usable feedbags to collect trash.  And our own Wendy Goodenow has kindly offered to uber anyone in the punchbowl area- call her on her cell if you would like a ride 808.398.9484.  See you tomorrow - rain or shine.   Reina and Karyn

Please join us this Saturday 2/20 from 9-11 am for a beach cleanup at Bellows Field beach park. 

Trash bags and gloves will be provided.  See link below and map snapshots of where to meet.   

Feel free to invite friends/family to join.  Hope to see everyone there!

Reina & Karyn

(347.387.1159  Karyn's Cell) 

Bellows Field Beach Park - Google Maps

Margit Misangyi Watts earned her undergraduate degree and teaching certificate from the University of Michigan and received her Master’s in Social Work and PhD in American Studies from the University of Hawaii.

She is the author of two books -- High Tea at Halekulani, a study of feminism, and a textbook titled College:  We Make the Road By Walking. As a scholar she has also contributed to the discourse on the impact of technology on teaching and learning, is the editor of a volume on distance learning, written several articles on the complexity of new technologies in the educational arena, and has published extensively on information literacy. 

    She taught at UHM for over 32 years and for over 15 of those years she was the Director of two programs for freshman, Freshman Seminars and Rainbow Advantage.

    Although retired from UHM in 2016, Margit continues to teach for the University. Her course is about social media and the impact it has on individuals and the wider community.

Lori McCarney has over 40 years of senior management experience in a variety of industries in local, national and international markets. She specializes in business strategy and marketing. Prior to moving to Hawaii, she held executive leadership positions at Wells Fargo & Co., Bank of America, and major advertising agencies including McCann-Erickson and Grey Advertising.  

McCarney's local experience includes serving as Group Executive Vice President of Bank of Hawaii; being CMO of an interisland start-up, Fly Hawaii Airlines; President of the marketing agency McCarney Sacks and Santilli; and an SVP of Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties. 

Lori recently served as the CEO and Executive Director of Bikeshare Hawaii. Over a four-year period, she led the funding, design, start up, launch, and community acceptance phases of the Honolulu bikeshare program, Biki.  In its first full year of operations, Biki became the 6th most popular bikeshare system (of more than 100) in the nation.   

In her current role as Executive Director of the Hawaii Bicycling League, she is focused on the achievement of the States health, sustainability and affordability goals through initiatives that encourage and enable people to use bicycles for transportation, exercise, and recreation.