NUKOLII — Lenny Rapozo, the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation director, said this was Peter Rayno Jr.’s golden year of officiating at basketball games.
“He’s been officiating basketball games for 50 years,” Rapozo said. “He was my coach for football, baseball and basketball, and I went on to officiate basketball games with him. There is a saying, ‘If Rayno can go …’”
On Thursday, Rayno was announced as Kauai’s Outstanding Male Older American during the Older Americans Month Recognition Ceremony and Luncheon at the Aqua Kauai Beach Resort.
He was joined by Janice Nitta, described as a visionary who works to empower others to make a difference, who was announced as Kauai’s Outstanding Female Older American.
Kauai has approximately 18,995, or more than 20 percent of its population, na kupuna, or people who are aged 60 years and older, who enrich and strengthen our community, states a mayoral proclamation celebrating May as Older Americans Month. The national initiative led by the federal Administration on Aging is a part of the Administration for Community Living.
“This year’s theme, ‘Engage at Every Age,’ emphasizes that you are never too old or too young to take part in activities that can enrich your physical, mental and emotional well-being,” said Kealoha Takahashi, director of the county Agency on Elderly Affairs. “Older Americans Month also celebrates the many ways in which older adults make a difference in our communities.”
Rayno, a coach with Lihue Pop Warner, high school football programs, Kauai youth basketball leagues, various softball teams, the Lihue Baseball Youth league and a senior softball team, the Hanamaulu Hillsiders, only recently retired from the state Department of Education, where he served as security at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School.
Nominated by Jeff Venzon, Rayno has been a lifelong volunteer involved in cleanups of beaches, parks and the Kalepa Hills Cemetery to the betterment of the Hanamaulu community.
Nitta has educated many of Kauai’s high school youth as an English teacher, and as the student activities coordinator at Waimea High School for a period of nearly 50 years.
During the past 10 years, Nitta has served as the president of the Waimea Alumni and Friends Foundation, coordinating the annual carnival, the membership luau that honors outstanding members with the Spirit Award, and an endowment fund for scholarships for graduating Waimea High School seniors.
Nitta, who is a cancer survivor and lives with serious health issues, stays active in the community, and participates in a recently formed quilting group of retired language arts teachers of Waimea High School who provide their quilts to nursing homes, for fundraising events and to others in need.
The pair were selected from a field of eight nominees, including Elvira Kimokeo, Margaret McGinty, Clorinda Nakashima, Sonia Song, Michael Vidinha and Martina Semana.
The AEA Older Americans Month celebration continues with the Older Americans Month Festival Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at Kukui Grove Center with entertainment, demonstrations, prize drawings and more than 25 vendors.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
