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Remembering the Past ...
| New Park Sign | Unveiled 1.31.09 |
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| Funded by Kaua`i Visitors Bureau & Kaua`i Visitors Industry |
HANAMA`ULU'S PETER RAYNO SR.
| Peter Rayno Sr. Circa 1959 |
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| Photo : Peter Rayno Jr. |
TODAY, MANY IN HANAMA`ULU and elsewhere still remember the Whiz Kids and the team's coach, Peter Rayno Sr.
Rayno coached the famous Whiz Kids of Hanama`ulu, a softball team of teenage boys that won the Lihue Plantation Athletic
Association championship in October 1955, an achievement that many continue to extol today. Rayno's son, Peter Jr., inspired
to follow in his father's footsteps, also coached the Whiz Kids of Hanama`ulu, this time a kids' flag football team, that
won the LPAA championship in 1957.
Peter
Rayno Sr. also coached with Lucas Garcia, a fellow Hanama`uluan, the Lihue Plantation Unit 71 of Local 142. The team won the 9th annual State ILWU Softball Championship Tournament held in Hilo in May 1964 as well as the 10th tournament held in Honolulu in 1965. In 1966, Peter Rayno's team was the championship runner-up.
Born in Waipahu on April 27, 1919, Peter Rayno came to Kaua`i when he was 18-years-old, and he had been a resident of Hanama`ulu
for 37 years when he died on August 2, 1974. A truck driver with Lihue Plantation until he left the plantation in 1959, he
was with Kaua`i Surf at the time of his death at the age 55.
In
1978, Lihue Plantation, owner of Hanama`ulu Park, ended its lease to the County of Kaua`i by donating the 3.5 acres of land to the county. In 1983, Hanama`ulu's own Eddie Sarita, who was serving his fourth term on the County Council, introduced a resolution to
name the park PETER RAYNO SR. PARK in honor of Hanama`ulu's sports whiz. The park serves Hanama`ulu both as a community park and a playground for King Kaumuali`i Elementary School.
| The Whiz Kids emblazoned on P. Rayno Jr.'s shirt. |
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| Photo : Karl Lo | Feb. 2005 |
The Whiz Kids in alphabetical order:
Juanito Alayvilla, Ronald Alimboyoguen, James Amorin, Jerry Amorin, Joseph Delostrico, Gary Ebinger, Richard Ebinger,
George Fujimoto, Cayetano Gerardo, Angel Madrid, Gaylord Perreira, Aurelio Ramelb, Patricio Ramelb, Donald Rapozo, Gene Rayno,
Peter Raynor Jr., Stephen Sarita, Pito Saulibio, Gerald Tsukamoto.
SOURCES:
The Garden Island. Aug. 5, 1974 A2:2
The Lihue Plantation News. Oct, 1955, Feb. 1958, May 1964, May 1965, April 1966
Peter Rayno Jr. Feb. 2005
Edward Sarita. Nov. 2004
--©️Catherine Pascual Lo -- Jan./Feb. 2005
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