I was deeply saddened to learn about the November 15th passing of Waipahu’s retail and community guru, Goro Arakawa. Goro was a pivotal mentor for me, a Yoda to my naïve Jedi aspirations over four decades ago.
Goro helped me to understand why things were, not just what they were. I was a rookie, radio salesman, a neophyte dealing with a master. I would drive to Waipahu for 10am meetings and stay until 3pm. I was inculcated with vividly-told history lessons as I sat with Goro, one-on-one. Lunches at Rocky’s Coffee Shop, the unraveling of ancient cardboard boxes filled with fading, decades-old newspaper clippings stored in Goro’s office, the aloha shared by the Arakawa brothers as we traversed narrow store aisles, shelves brimming with literally everything…
I learned the intricacies of plantation life, “local style”, palaka, and immigrant hardships. As a recent college history major, I was enthralled. Goro was always so patient with this interested malahini, his expressive eyes and hands helping to make a point. My initial sense of acceptance came not when Goro renewed his radio advertising contract, but months later when he waved to me from the stands at Kaiser High after I’d played in a Hawaii Semi-Professional Soccer League game. He’d shown up just to watch me play- a true friend.
We all need mentors, visionaries, believers, storytellers, and keepers of the faith in our lives. Their wise words are not found in books, online or via blogs. Their nuanced sagas come from deep within, and we can all use a little more soul-searching, meaning, and empathy in our world today- even in this land of aloha.
While saddened to learn of Goro’s passing, I felt a warm sense of gratitude that he had calmly, humbly, and passionately done so much for so many for so long. His passing reminded me of other memorable mentors many moons ago, including the father of Aloha Stadium and the Hula Bowl, Mackay Yanigasawa; wily promoter and my first boss, Dennis Minga; and jeweler and stoic 442nd Regiment “L” Company member, Tommy Kakesako. They all shared guidance, knowledge and context. How can we figure out where we’re going if we don’t know where (or why) we’ve been? Great people who didn’t ask to be great, but simply helped up-and-comers to better understand. Mahalo, Goro. Mentoring means mana. Find it, absorb it, and share it.
Think about it…