About Us:
The Kamehameha Schools Class of 1973
- Proud to Be '73, September 2010, memorial service for Steve Reelitz.
We have always been unique.
Ask other members of the Kamehameha ohana about the Class of '73, and you will almost invariably get a mischievous wink or knowing glance. Shaped not only by our time together at Kamehameha, but also by such developments as the beginnings of the Hawaiian cultural renaissance, the summer of love, the fall of Saigon and the Apollo moon landings, PTB73 is invariably described as free-spirited, non-conformist, self-confident and self-aware, fiercely independent and rooted in strong values of peace, love and justice.
To us, "It's a Kakou Thing."
PTB73 is coming up on the 40th Anniversary of our graduation, in June 2013. And we're as surprised by this as anyone. We have always considered ourselves a work in progress, and milestones have never been our thing. Some of us have been classmates since Kindergarten, others came to the class at the beginning of middle school, and most of us arrived as high school freshmen. The idea that there is more than one Kamehameha campus is a bit foreign to us, for Kamehameha has always been synonymous with Kapalama Heights and the view from on high. We were among the first classes to see non-uniform attire approved, albeit only on Aloha Fridays, and we were the last class to graduate with all of our Kamehameha men in ROTC dress blues - Kamehameha ceased to be a four-year military academy the following year.
As diverse as we were then, we are even more so now. We are working men and women, we are military men and women, we are professionals, doctors, lawyers, some prominent in local communities, others prominent in island politics and yet others prominent on the national and international stage in our chose realms of endeavors. But we are united by what makes us the same -- children of Ke Ali'i Pauahi, keiki o ka aina, good and industrious men and women who have shared the unique experience of "growing up Kamehameha." Yes, it's a Kakou Thing.
... to be continued.
The Men and Women
of the Kamehameha Schools
Class of 1973