Tsai-ko Autobiography:  Calvin from Kona  -- deceased November 2013

Name:  Calvin Lum Won, Jr.
High School:  Konawaena High (Big Island)
Tsai-ko Lunch Size:  Medium
Original Tsai-ko caricature: N/A
Other:  Attended 3rd blog party, Tsaiko-Gates
From the Warrior Beat blog September 4 2007:
ST's Intro:
Calvin, from Kona, never let a little distance get in the way of his love for UH football.
He is a season-ticket buyer who doesn't even get his home mail on O‘ahu. We're still amazed that he attended the blog's anniversary party.
But Calvin is an amazing guy, offering great insights whenever he finds the time from his busy schedule.
Please read about Calvin:

I was actually born in West Palm Beach, Florida in 1971. My father was in the navy and mother from the east coast. As soon as I could fly, we moved back to Kona where I grew up. I attended Konawaena High School and was an all conference performer in soccer and track, but always a football fan.

After graduation I attended college in Oregon to play soccer and major in Political Science (Pre-Law). After an interesting year in Oregon, I decided to transfer to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. This transfer, a change in major to Economics a full time job and membership in a fraternity extended my college years to a full 6 year term. Soon after graduating with my degree, I went on to management at a local car rental company. This career led to a career change to pharmaceutical sales. Seven years later I was transferred to Portland, Oregon due to a downsizing with my company. I spent several years in Portland and during that time left the pharmaceutical industry to pursue a career in office equipment sales (copiers). Two and a half years ago, family reasons led me to return to Kona. My father died two years ago on Sept 4th in Kona.

Not long after I returned to Kona. Business Works of Hawaii offered me a position in office equipment sales in Kona as well as sales management of the Big Island. This later led to sales management of Maui as well. Last week I was promoted to Sales Director of Hawaii. What does this mean to you guys? Well, if you need a copier or phone system let me know. Okay that was my business networking plug. Now to the important part:

My first memory of being a UH fan was when I was a kid. We didn’t get the games on TV so I watched the “Dick Tomey Show” every Sunday since I was 10 or so. I really enjoyed the “Muddle Huddle.” My first actual game was UH vs. Oregon in I believe 1988. Hawaii won. I think Clayton Mahuka ran back a kick for a TD. It’s all fuzzy now. When I enrolled in UH, I bought my first set of season tickets. Since then, I have been a regular attendee of UH games, good, bad or ugly.

My favorite games: UH beating BYU, twice in a row. UH beating BYU after they came back to take the lead with less than 2 minutes and the TE from BYU “flipped off” the Super Rooter student section when scoring what he thought was the winning TD. (I believe he was pelted with beer bottles and we could no longer easily sneak those in afterwards. Oh, and I was in that Super Rooter section). Who could forget the comeback victories over FSU, the demolishing of BYU when they were 12-0 and last year’s Purdue comeback win.

My game days include a flight from Kona in the morning, some shopping and a hotel check-in. I am the guy to coordinate the tailgate and buy most of the tickets for a group of 6-40 people. I can usually be found in the South End Zone, Orange level, section B, between rows 10-20. I am excited about this season. I am also excited that with the promotion, the company is letting me stay in the corporate condo on Oahu. Needless to say, I’ll be scheduling myself to work out of the Aiea office on all days before a home UH football game. No more hotel expense, more money for beer and poke. GO WARRIORS!

Calvin Lum Won, Jr. passed away in November 2013


Stephen Tsai's November 11, 2013 Blog entry:

"Calvin from Kona" was mislabeled.

True, he was raised in Kona and graduated from Konawaena High School. But he was born in Florida, attended a college in Oregon before transferring to UH, and worked on Maui, Oahu and in Portland. He had recently moved to Washington.

Wherever he lived, he rooted for the UH football team.

In 2007, he wrote: "My first memory of being a UH fan was when I was a kid. We didn't get the games on TV, so I watched the "Dick Tomey Show" every Sunday since I was 10 or so. I really enjoyed the "muddle huddle." My first actual game was UH vs. Oregon in, I believe, in 1988. Hawaii won. I think Clayton Mahuka ran back a kick for a TD. It's all fuzzy now. When I enrolled in UH, I bought my first set of season tickets. Since them, I have been a regular attendee of UH games, good, bad, or ugly."

When he lived/worked in Kona, he would travel to Honolulu on game day, check into a hotel, shop and then coordinate a tailgate party for between six and 40 people.

It probably was at a blog function when we first met  Calvin. The "when" part is fuzzy. But he was a regular at tailgates, karaoke nights and other UH sporting events. He was smart, witty, funny and might have acted in a karaoke video.

Calvin Lum Won, of Kona — and several places — died this past week. He will be missed.


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