Dr. Richardson




	In Memoriam of:



Allen B. Richardson, M.D. March 24, 1947 - September 1, 2003

		Dr. Allen Richardson, or Keola, as many of you called him, was born on March 24, 1947 and led a most remarkable life. He first began life in the old Tripler General Hospital at Fort Shafter and the nurses always recognized his low-pitched cry as different from the other babies. His father, Barrister Allen Richardson, was the first Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon in the islands. Keola's mother is Florence Elizabeth Kealiimaemae Ching of Port Allen, Kauai, and was his father's classmate at UH in 1940. Florence then went to Columbia University for a master's degree while Buster entered Yale Medical School. She returned to Hawaii to teach prior to the December 7th attack while Buster finished medical school and intership after which he reported for military duty. This assignment eventually led him to the Pacific Theatre and home to Hawaii by February, 1945. Florence and Buster were married on July 21, 1945 in Kawaiaha'o Church. At six months of age, Keola and his parents traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where his father trained in an orthopedic residency program at the University of Pennsylvania. While in Philadelphia Keola was blessed with a new sister, Allene Kaleimomi, for her paternal grandmother who was a member of the Territorial Legislature for 18 years. Few knew that Keola's great-grandfather, John Richardson, had accompanied Queen Liliuokalani in 1896 as her counsel when she traveled to Washington, D.C. to plead for the restoration of her monarchy. Upon returning home and hearing the news that John's wife had born twins, Liliuokalani bestowed the Hawaiian name upon Keola's grandfather, Moliakalaniikeola, which can be translated to mean "A life blessed in Heaven." She then named the baby girl "Gaelic" after the ship they had sailed on. Both Keola and Allene started kindergarten at Punahou where he participated in many activities as a youngster. In the second grade, Keola performed in "South Pacific" in a cameo-part of a Polynesian boy that was produced at the old Ruger (now Diamond Head) Theater. At the age of 8, under the tutelage of the world famous coach, Soichi Sakamoto, Keola started his swimming career at the old UH pool. He was entered in his first race at the Palama Settlement pool and broke the national 8-and-under record for breaststroke. From then on he became the fastest breaststroker in the nation in his age group until he was 17 and began swimming in the senior national division. At Punahou, Keola was part of the ILH championship team throughout high school. He was the breaststroker on their Medley Relay; in 1965, his senior year, he broke the state high school 100-yd breaststroke record at the high school championships held at Kapaa, Kauai. As an undergraduate at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, he swam on the NCAA Division I team all four years. During this time, he began training summers at the world renowned Santa Clara Swim Club where he met his future bride, Pokey Watson, who won gold medals in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics. At the Yale Commencement in 1969, Keola was honored to carry the banner of his Timothy Dwight College during the graduation ceremony. Long time friend and Punahou classmate, Sam King, Jr., shared quarters at T.D. with Keola all four years. The summer after graduation, they and Jeff Lau, also a longtime friend and Punahou classmate, toured Europe for 3 months where Keola picked up his first car, a VW Bug. Keola started medical school the fall of 1970 at UCLA and, in June of 1971, he and Pokey were married at the Portola Valley Presbyterian Church. Many of his Punahou and Yale classmates were able to attend the wedding. Sam King, Jr. was the best man and Kathryn Watson, Pokey's sister, was maid of honor. His father's first cousin, the former Chief Justice Bill Richardson, flew in from Honolulu with 4000 pink plumerias, which his mother and grandaunt, Ester Kam, turned into miniature kahilis and leis to drape the church aisles. After Keola finished medical school, internship and residency at UCLA, he took a year's fellowship in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine at the famed Kerlan Jobe Clinic. While finishing her undergraduate degree at UCLA, Pokey coached swimming at the Marlborough School for Girls. After graduation she went to work for cross-town rival USC as Women's Swimming Coach and Sports Information Director for Women's Athletics. In 1979, Keola and Pokey returned to Hawaii where his father encouraged him to join the group of Orthopedics Associates working at Queen's Medical Center. This was Keola's 24th year with the group. Since then, his professional career expanded rapidly both here in Hawaii and throughout the world. He joined the Punahou School Board of Trustees in September 1991 and served until August 2003. Pokey and Keola have three children all of whom were born in Hawaii: Andrew Barrister Moliakalaniikeola in 1981, Anne Hof Kealiimaemae in 1984, and Laura Kealiipunahele in 1985. All three are graduates of Punahou School and are currently attending universities on the mainland. Andrew and Annie both play college water polo at UC Berkeley and Claremont Mckenna College. Puna is in her first year at St. John's University on a volleyball scholarship. When the children were younger, they and their Dad were actively involved in both Indian Guides for fathers and sons, and Indian Princesses for fathers and daughters. The whole family loved to travel and made many wonderful excursions throughout Europe, took several ski trips during winter breaks, and had many memorable weekends at the Malaekahana beach house.

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