Honolulu Commuity College Distinguished Alumni
Two hundred guests gathered to celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of the Hawai‘i Regional Council of Carpenters and four distinguished alumni at an awards dinner on Thursday, February 20, 2014 at Harbor View Center above Nico’s at Pier 38. The evening was emceed by local radio personality Kathy with a K and included a silent auction with unique one-of-a-kind items. Guests were entertained by Crimson Apple, a local all-female band of which two members are currently enrolled in the Music and Entertainment Learning Experience (MELE) program at the college. All proceeds from the silent auction benefited the Honolulu CC General Scholarship Endowment Fund.
2014 Distinguished Alumni
Femar Lee (’92 AA Liberal Arts) - Femar Lee grew up in Kalihi Valley and graduated from Farrington High School. Following her graduation she received her associate degree in liberal arts from Honolulu Community College in 1992. Lee currently teaches math at Honolulu Community College. She has served on the board of directors of the Hawai‘i Council of Teachers of Mathematics for 10 years, and currently serves as the division chair for math and science at Honolulu CC.
Brock Little (’94 AA Liberal Arts) – While completing his liberal arts education at Honolulu Community College, Brock Little dreamed of becoming a professional surfer and working in the movie industry. At age 20, he pulled into the barrel on a legitimate 20-foot wave and later dropped into what is still considered one of the biggest waves ever paddled into at Waimea Bay in the 1990 Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau invitational event. Little has been able to parlay his love of surfing and the ocean into a professional career as a stunt coordinator for more than 60 movies and television shows that include Transformers 1 and 2, Pearl Harbor, Blue Crush, Lost, CSI Miami, and most recently, Hawai‘i Five-0. Today, he continues to mentor young surfers and shares his love of surfing and the ocean with everyone around the world.
Denis Mactagone (’70 Apprenticeship) – Denis Mactagone is a 1962 graduate of Wallace Rider Farrington High School. After graduation from high school, Mactagone served a tour of duty on the USS Magoffin. Following his discharge from the Navy, he entered the Carpenters Union drywall apprenticeship program, which he completed in 1970. After 22 years in the industry, he was asked to join the administrative team of the Carpenters Local Union 745 as field representative, and was promoted to senior field representative and director for the apprenticeship program in the year 2000. After 46 years of service, Mactagone retired from the Hawai‘i Regional Council of Carpenters and is enjoying his retirement life with his wife Susan.
Richard “Scotty” Rhode (’82 AS Fire Science) - Retired Chief Richard “Scotty” Rhode is a graduate of Radford High School. He received his associate degree in fire science from Honolulu CC in 1982. He is currently an assistant professor for Honolulu’s Fire & Environmental Emergency Response program. Rhode served 28 years in the Department of Defense Fire & Emergency Services at Federal Fire Department Hawai‘i. He was the first Hawai‘i state coordinator for the National Fire Academy Alumni Association and was nominated as U.S. Navy Civilian Firefighter of the Year in 1998.
2014 Outstanding Community Partner
Hawai‘i Regional Council of Carpenters - The Hawai‘i Regional Council of Carpenters currently represents 6,200 members and more than 300 signatory contractors throughout the state. Over the past 50 years the Carpenters Union has made and continues to make a multitude of contributions to the development and welfare of the Honolulu CC campus. Each year the Council provides materials and supplies for the carpentry technology program as well as the carpenters apprenticeship program.