List of Punahou School alumni facts for kids

This page lists some amazing people who went to Punahou School, a private school in Honolulu, Hawaii. It includes students who attended, graduates, and even former teachers. You'll find Olympic athletes, famous actors, important scientists, and even a US President! An asterisk (*) next to a name means they went to Punahou but didn't graduate from the senior class.

Awesome Athletes and Champions

Punahou School has produced many incredible athletes who have competed at the highest levels, including the Olympics!

Beach Volleyball Stars

• '90 Kevin Wong (UCLA)—Competed in the 2000 Olympics.
• '91 Stein Metzger (UCLA)—Competed in the 2004 Olympics.
• '10 Taylor Crabb (Long Beach State)—Competed in the 2021 Olympics.

Diving

• '69 Keala O'Sullivan (Hawaiʻi)—Won a bronze medal in diving at the 1968 Olympics.

Horse Riding (Dressage)

• '72* Sandy Pflueger—Competed in the 1984 Olympics (attended 1959–69).

Kayaking

• '92 Kathryn Colin (Washington)—Competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.
• '97 Andrew Bussey (UC Irvine)—Competed in the 2004 Olympics.

Sailing

• '66 David Rockwell McFaull (Cornell)—Won a silver medal in sailing at the 1976 Olympics.
• '72 Michael Jon Rothwell—Won a silver medal in sailing at the 1976 Olympics.
• '76 Keani Reiner

Surfing

• '10 Carissa Moore—Won the first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's short board surfing in 2020.

Swimming Legends

• '24* Mariechen Wehselau Jackson—Won gold and silver medals in swimming in 1924 (attended 1912–23).
• '24 Helen Moses
• '25* Warren Kealoha—Won gold medals in 1920 (the youngest male US gold medalist in swimming) and 1924 (attended 1920–22).
• '27 Buster Crabbe (Southern Cal)—Won a bronze medal in 1928 and a gold medal in 1932. He later became a famous actor.
• '47 Dick Cleveland (Hawaiʻi, Ohio State)—Competed in 1952 and held four world records. He is in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
• '67 Brent Thales Berk (Stanford)—Competed in 1968.
• '76 Chris Woo (Indiana)—Competed in 1976.
• 2009 Christel Simms (USC)—Competed in 2008.

Volleyball Stars

• '66 Miki Briggs McFadden (USC)—Competed in 1968.
• '92 Mike Lambert (Stanford)—Competed in 1996 and 2000.
• '98 Lindsey Berg (Minnesota)—Won silver medals in 2004, 2008, and 2012.
• 2008 Erik Shoji (Stanford)—Competed in 2016 and 2020.

Water Polo

• '84 Christopher Duplanty (UC Irvine)—Won silver medals in 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2000.
• '97 Sean Kern (UCLA)—Competed in 2000.
• '99 Brandon Brooks (UCLA)—Won a silver medal in 2008.

Track and Field

• '72 Henry Marsh (BYU)—Competed in 1976, was part of the 1980 team, and competed in 1984 and 1988.

Other World Champions

• '99 Elisa Au (Hawaiʻi)—A three-time World Karate Federation World Champion. She is in the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame.

Professional Athletes

Many Punahou alumni have gone on to play sports professionally.

Football Players

• '27 Henry Thomas "Hank" "Honolulu" Hughes (Oregon State)—Played for the Boston Braves in 1932.
• '48 Herman Clark (Oregon State)—An offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears from 1952-57.
• '49 Charley Ane, Jr. (USC)—An offensive lineman for the Detroit Lions, he was a team captain for two NFL championships.
• '59* Ray Schoenke (Southern Methodist)—An offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins from 1963-75.
• '64 Norm Chow (Utah)—Played in the CFL and later became an offensive coordinator in the NFL.

• '71 Arnold Morgado, Jr. (Hawaiʻi)—A running back for the Kansas City Chiefs.
• '71 Charles "Kale" Ane III (Michigan State)—An offensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers.
• '74 Mosi Tatupu (USC)—A running back for the New England Patriots, he played in one Super Bowl.
• '78 Mark Tuinei (Hawaiʻi)—An offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys, he played in three Super Bowls.
• '09 Manti Teʻo (Notre Dame)—A Heisman Trophy finalist who signed with the San Diego Chargers.
• '12 DeForest Buckner (Oregon)—An NFL defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts.
• '12 Kaʻimi Fairbairn (UCLA)—An NFL place kicker for the Houston Texans.
• '18 Andrei Iosivas (Princeton)—An NFL wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Baseball Players

• '81* Joey Meyer, Jr. (Hawaiʻi)—A first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers.
• '97 Justin Wayne (Stanford)—A pitcher for the Florida Marlins.

Volleyball Players

• '69 Linda Fernandez (Hawaiʻi)—An All-Pro player in the International Volleyball Association.

Tennis Players

• '63 Jim Osborne (Utah)—Won five Grand Prix tennis circuit doubles titles.

Golfers

• '67 Penelope Gebauer (Boise State)—Had nine top-10 finishes in the LPGA.
• '97 Parker McLachlin (UCLA)—A winner on the PGA Tour.
• '99 Bridget Dwyer (UCLA)—Ranked #9 on the LPGA Futures Tour.
• 2007 Michelle Wie (Stanford)—A two-time LPGA winner and a member of the winning Solheim Cup team.

Surfing Champions

• '65 Fred Hemmings, Jr.—The 1968 world surfing champion.
• '66 Gerry Lopez—Won the Pipeline Masters in 1972 and 1973.
• '67 Jeff Hakman—The 1974 and 1975 world surfing champion and founder of Quiksilver.
• '10 Carissa Moore—The 2011 ASP Women's World Tour Champion and a 2020 Olympic gold medalist.

Mixed Martial Arts

• '09 Ilima-Lei Macfarlane—A professional mixed martial artist and former Bellator MMA Flyweight Champion.

Medical Leaders

Punahou alumni have also become important figures in medicine and health.

Doctors and Researchers

• '27 Rodney T. West (Northwestern)—A Naval Reserve MD at the Attack on Pearl Harbor and a founding president of the American College of Physician Executives.
• '32 Colin McCorriston (Stanford)—One of the founders of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
• '45 Calvin C.J. Sia (Dartmouth)—Developed and promoted the Medical Home concept for pediatric care.
• '56 Anne Angen Gershon (Smith)—A professor of pediatrics at Columbia University and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
• '57 Darwin R. Labarthe (Princeton)—A professor of epidemiology and director at the CDC.
• '62 Ernest T. Takafuji (UH)—A colonel and director of biodefense at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
• '69 Dale T. Umetsu (Columbia)—An endowed professor of pediatrics at Harvard.
• '79 Annabelle A. Okada (Harvard)—A Fulbright Scholar and professor of medicine in Tokyo.
• '79 Leanne Brooks Scott (Rice)—The dean of research at Baylor College of Medicine.

Other Leading Educators and Researchers

Many Punahou graduates have become leaders in education and various fields of research.

Administrators and General Subjects

• '40 Frederic B. Withington, Jr. (Harvard)—A headmaster at Morgan Park Academy and Friends Academy.
• '66* George Barnett Forsythe (West Point)—President of Westminster College and a brigadier general.
• '70 Robert Spitzer (Gonzaga)—President of Gonzaga University.
• '74 Marie Mookini (Stanford)—Director of undergraduate admissions at Stanford.

Law and Business Experts

• '33 Honorable Samuel P. King—A Federal District Court Judge.
• '60 Evan L. Porteus (Claremont)—An endowed professor of business at Stanford.
• '61 William Ouchi (Williams)—An endowed professor of business at UCLA and Stanford, known for "Theory Z."
• '65 Robert Klein (Stanford)—An Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii.
• '82 Ian Haney-Lopez (Washington University in St. Louis)—A professor of law at UC Berkeley.

Science Innovators

• '46 Alison Kay (Mills)—A malacologist (someone who studies mollusks) and Fulbright scholar, known for "Shells of Hawaii."
• '54 David W. Steadman (Harvard)—An expert on birds and extinctions, featured in the IMAX film "Galapagos."
• '66 J. Vann Bennett (Stanford)—An endowed professor of cell biology and neuroscience at Duke University.
• '79 Laura S. L. Kong (Brown)—Director of the International Tsunami Information Center.

Logic, Math, Computing, and Engineering

• '62 John Stephen Walther (MIT)—A Hewlett Packard developer who worked on CORDIC technology.
• '72 Patricia Sullivan Kale (Berkeley)—A computer scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, involved in the Human Genome Project.
• '72 Michael C. Loui (Yale)—An IEEE Fellow and professor of electrical and computer engineering.
• '79 Ronald Loui (Harvard)—A professor of computer science and patent holder.

Social Science Experts

• '23 Laura M. Thompson (Mills)—An anthropologist who taught at many universities.
• '43 Joyce Lebra Chapman (Minnesota)—A Fulbright Scholar and professor of history.
• '68 Patrick Vinton Kirch (Penn)—An endowed professor of anthropology at UC Berkeley, known for his work on Polynesian prehistory.
• '78 John Lie (Harvard)—An endowed professor of sociology and dean of international studies.

Arts and Humanities

• '55 Elizabeth Bennett Johns (Birmingham-Southern)—An emerita professor of art history and a Guggenheim Fellow.
• '60 Marilyn Wong-Gleysteen (Mt. Holyoke)—A professor of art history at Columbia.
• '73 Christin J. Mamiya (Yale)—An endowed professor of art history.

Civil Rights Leaders

Punahou has also educated individuals who fought for civil rights and equality.

• 1859 Samuel C. Armstrong (Williams)—A general who commanded U.S. Colored Troops and founded Hampton University. He was a mentor to Booker T. Washington.
• '14 Elbert Tuttle (Cornell)—A Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals who played a key role in desegregating the South. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
• '29* John W. Gardner (Stanford)—Secretary of HEW under Lyndon Johnson, he launched Medicare and founded Common Cause. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Government Leaders and Judges

Many Punahou alumni have served in important government roles.

United States Presidents

• '79 Barack Obama (Columbia)—The 44th President of the United States (2008–2016), and a former US Senator from Illinois.

US Senators

• 1892 Hiram Bingham (Yale)—A Republican US Senator from Connecticut and the discoverer of Machu Picchu.
• '90 Brian Schatz (Pomona)—A Democratic US Senator from Hawaii and former Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii.

US Congressional Representatives

• 1889 Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole (St. Matthews)—A Hawaiian prince and Delegate to the US House of Representatives from Hawaii (1903–22).
• '39* Otis Pike (Princeton)—A Democratic US Congressman from New York (1961–79), known for his work on the environment.
• '87 Charles Djou (Penn)—A Republican US Congressman from Hawaii (2010-2011).

Presidential Appointees

• 1864 Sanford Dole (Williams)—Appointed the first territorial governor of Hawaii and a Federal Judge.
• 1881 Walter Frear (Yale)—Appointed the third territorial governor of Hawaii and a Federal Judge.
• 1896 William Castle, Jr. (Harvard)—Served as Assistant Secretary of State and Ambassador to Japan.
• '33 Samuel Pailthorpe King (Yale)—Appointed a federal judge.
• '51 Elinor G. Constable (Wellesley)—US Ambassador to Kenya.
• '62 Wendy Lee Gramm (Wellesley)—Head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
• '65 Robert G. Klein (Stanford)—A justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii.

Local Officials and Other Appointees

• 1858 Albert Francis Judd (Yale)—Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
• '23 Rhoda Valentine Lewis (Stanford)—The first female justice on the Supreme Court of Hawaii.
• '40 Charles Marsland (Tufts)—The first elected Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu.
• '54 Patricia Hudson Birdsall—A councilwoman who served as mayor of Temecula.
• '59 Stephen Yamashiro—Mayor of Hawaii County from 1992 to 2000.
• '75 Mary Fairhurst (Gonzaga)—A justice of the Washington State Supreme Court.
• '79 Laura Thielen (University of Colorado)—A Hawaii Senate representative.

Military Leaders and Heroes

Punahou has a strong history of graduates serving in the military, with many becoming leaders and heroes.

Army Leaders

• '05 Paul Withington (Harvard)—An MD in World War I, awarded the Silver Star and Legion of Merit.
• '13 Farrant Louis Turner—A lieutenant colonel who commanded the U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion.
• '20* Russell "Red" Reeder, Jr. (West Point)—A colonel and regiment leader at Utah Beach on D-Day, awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
• '22* Donald Prentice Booth (West Point)—A lieutenant general and High Commissioner of Okinawa.
• '33 Stanley R. Larsen (West Point)—A lieutenant general who commanded the 8th Infantry Division.
• '35 Francis B. Wai (UCLA)—A Captain in World War II, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
• '38 George Cantlay (West Point)—A lieutenant general and deputy chairman of the NATO Military Committee.
• '67 Stephen D. Tom (Michigan)—A major general in the United States Army Reserve.
• '79 Mark E. Solomons (Chico)—A lieutenant colonel who commanded a battalion in Iraq, a classmate of President Barack Obama.

Navy Leaders

• '29* Gordon Chung-Hoon (Annapolis)—A rear admiral and World War II destroyer commander, awarded the Silver Star and Navy Cross. A destroyer is named after him.
• '77 Thomas H. Copeman III (Creighton)—A rear admiral who commanded the USS Benfold.
• '77 Alma M. Grocki (Annapolis)—An admiral, part of the second class of women admitted to the Naval Academy.

Marine Corps Leaders

• '37 Ross T. Dwyer (Stanford)—A major general who commanded the 1st Marine Division.
• '63* Benjamin F. Dillingham, III (Harvard)—Awarded the Bronze Star for service in Vietnam with the U.S. Marine Corps.

Air Force Leaders

• '28 Benjamin Jepson Webster (West Point)—A lieutenant general and commander of Allied Airforces, Southern Europe.
• '30 Charles Barnard Stewart (West Point)—A brigadier general and director at the Atomic Energy Commission.
• '66* Gregory S. Martin (Air Force Academy)—A general and commander of Allied Airforces, Northern Europe.
• '72 Gregory B. Gardner (UH)—An Air National Guard major general and Adjutant General for Kansas.

Entertainment Industry Stars

Punahou has also produced many talented individuals in music, film, and television.

Musicians and Composers

• '12 Robert Alexander Anderson (Cornell)—A World War I pilot and composer of Hawaiian songs like "Mele Kalikimaka".
• '52 Bob Shane (Menlo)—A founding guitarist of the Kingston Trio.
• '59 Robin Luke (Pepperdine)—An early rockabilly singer, known for the hit "Susie Darlin'"
• '62 Bruce Broughton—A film composer for movies like "Silverado" and "Tombstone," and a 10-time Emmy-winner for TV themes.
• '67 Henry "Kapono" Ka'aihue—A singer-songwriter from the group Cecilio & Kapono.
• '77 Conrad Herwig (N Texas State)—A Grammy Award-nominated jazz trombonist.
• '00 melody.—A Japanese pop artist with three top ten albums.

Broadway, Stage, and Dance Performers

• '33* Jean Erdman (Sarah Lawrence)—One of Martha Graham's first dancers.
• '68 Rap Reiplinger—An Emmy-winning comedian.
• '76 Willy Falk (Harvard)—A Tony Award nominee for "Miss Saigon."
• '81 Ann Harada (Brown)—An original cast member of the Tony Award-winning "Avenue Q."
• '86 Carrie Ann Inaba (Irvine)—A choreographer and judge on "Dancing with the Stars."
• '96 Amanda Schull (Indiana)—A lead actress in "Center Stage" and a dancer for the San Francisco Ballet.

TV and Film Performers

• '25* Joan Blondell (North Texas)—A leading actress for 52 years in films and on stage, nominated for an Academy Award.
• '27 Buster Crabbe (USC)—An athlete and leading actor, famous for playing Tarzan and Flash Gordon.
• '66 Susan Blakely (UTEP)—Won a Golden Globe Award for Best Dramatic Actress in "Rich Man, Poor Man."
• '66 Gerry Lopez (UH)—A surfer and main actor in "Conan the Barbarian."
• '79 Teri Ann Linn (Pepperdine)—Miss Hawaii 1981, a singer and main actress in "The Bold and the Beautiful."
• '80 Kelly Preston, née Kelly Smith—A leading actress in over 50 films, including "Jerry Maguire."
• '95 Sarah Wayne Callies (Dartmouth)—An actress, known for her lead roles in "Prison Break" and "The Walking Dead."
• '96 Amanda Schull (Indiana)—An actress in TV shows like "One Tree Hill" and "Suits."

Other Entertainment Industry Producers

• '26 J. Ken Peterson (Washington)—A Disney animator and supervisor from 1936–83, who worked on "Snow White" and "101 Dalmatians."
• '53 Allan Burns (Oregon)—A six-time Emmy Award-winning writer and creator of shows like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."
• '80 Rod Lurie (West Point)—Creator of TV series like "Commander in Chief."
• '85 Scott Moore (Colorado)—Nominated for a BAFTA Award for "The Hangover."
• '94 Kaui Hart Hemmings (Colorado)—Writer of "The Descendants."

Business Leaders and Philanthropists

Punahou alumni have also made significant contributions in the world of business and charity.

Major Philanthropists

• '39 Charles Gates, Jr. (MIT)—Owner of Gates Rubber Company and often listed on the Forbes 400.
• '76 Steve Case (Williams)—Co-founder and CEO of America Online, and a major philanthropist.
• '84* Pierre Omidyar (Tufts)—Founder of eBay and a significant philanthropist.

Other Business Leaders

• '67 Jeff Hakman—A world surfing champion and founder of Quiksilver in the U.S. and Europe.
• '77 David T. Hamamoto (Stanford)—A partner at Goldman Sachs and CEO of Northstar Capital.
• '79 Peter Gordon (UCLA)—President of John Hancock Financial Group.

Cultural Notables

This section highlights other notable alumni who have made an impact in various cultural fields.

Authors, Editors, and Journalists

• '63 David Boynton (UCSB)—A photographer, naturalist, and author of books about Hawaii.
• '63 Susanna Moore—An author of several novels and essays.
• '65 Kathleen Norris (Bennington)—A best-selling Christian spiritual poet and essayist.
• '91 Nancy Cordes, née Weiner (Penn)—A CBS and ABC news correspondent.
• '92 Hanya Yanagihara (Smith)—An author, writer, and journalist.
• '11 Tae Keller—Author of "The Science of Breakable Things" and the 2021 Newbery Medal winner "When You Trap A Tiger."

Other Cultural Figures

• 1883* Sun Yat-Sen—The founding president of the Republic of China (attended 1882–83).
• '62 Charles L. Veach (Air Force Academy)—An astronaut who flew two shuttle missions.
• '72 Nainoa Thompson (UH)—A famous navigator of the "Hōkūleʻa" canoe, known for establishing Polynesian diaspora.
• '76 Judi Andersen—Miss Hawaii, Miss USA, and runner-up Miss Universe.
• '89* Brook Mahealani Lee—Miss Hawaii USA and Miss Universe 1997 (attended 1981–1987).
• '95 Kealoha (MIT)—A performance poet and Hawaii's first poet laureate.

Notable Former Faculty and Staff

Punahou School has also had many influential teachers and staff members.

• Nick Bozanic—A former English teacher and award-winning poet.
• Tom Haine—A coach who was the 1968 US Olympic volleyball captain.
• Henry Wells Lawrence—A former computing teacher and World War II fighter squadron commander.
• Queenie B. Mills—A former director of kindergarten who helped design the Head Start Program.
• Susan Tolman Mills—A former principal and founder of Mills College.
• Lillian "Pokey" Watson (Richardson)—A trustee and 1964 Olympic gold medalist in swimming.