HONOLULU — The Hawaii Sports Officials Hall of Fame (HSOHOF) today announced five officials to be inducted to the Class of 2024 — Jim B. Beavers (football), Aaron Chaney (water polo), Abraham (Abe) Pacheco (boxing), Kenichi (Stupe) Shimogawa (football) and Thomas Yoshida (basketball).
The five will be honored on Sunday, Sept. 1 at the Ala Moana Hotel on Oahu.
“We are extremely excited to honor these five individuals for induction to the class of 2024,” HSOHOF president Cal Evans said. “This is our seventh class, and we are very proud to celebrate their accomplishments.”
Abraham (Abe) Pacheco
Born in Hilo and raised in the sugar plantation camps of Wainaku, Pacheco was boxer himself and achieved moderate success in the 119-point weight class. In the 1970s, he became a sanctioned official and officiated in many Golden Gloves and Police Activities League events. He then moved up to work fights in the North American Boxing Federation, US Boxing Association, the World Boxing Counsel and the International Boxing Federation. He worked over 30 world championship fights in his 3-decade career.
Jim B. Beavers
His career began in 1956 working youth football games in Oklahoma before moving to Hawaii in 1960. He joined the OIA Football Officials Association in 1972 and work intermediate and high school games for the next 44 years. His career highlights included six Oahu Prep Bowl games and the 2000 HHSAA championship game. He took over the role of OIA Football Commissioner from HSOHOF Roy Chong in 1999 and for the next 17 years, became the association’s leader in training, mentoring and rules review.
Aaron Chaney
A national championship athlete in water polo at UC Santa Barbara, Chaney was an outstanding coach for over 40 years as well as an internationally renowned official. He worked 20 NCAA men’s and 10 women’s championships including 15 championship games. Internally, he worked the 2004 and 2008 Olympics in Athens and Beijing including the men’s semifinal in 2004. He also worked four FINA World Championships highlighted by the women’s bronze medal game. A member of both the UCSB and University of Hawaii Swimming Halls of Fame, he was inducted to the 2023 USA Water Polo Hall of Fame as a coach and a referee.
Kenichi (Stupe) Shimogawa
He was among the founding members of the Kauai Pop Warner football program in 1963 and served as commissioner from 1964-2005 where he was instrumental in designating proceeds of the games to the local Shriners. From 1963 to 2005, he worked nearly every position from football official to chain crew, to timer and ball person. He’s been honored as National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Association Hawaii Official of the year in 1997 and honored at the Hawaii State Legislature in 2011 and 2015 for his contributions to Kauai Pop Warner football. He passed away in 2017.
Thomas Yoshida
A graduate of Leilehua High School, Yoshida began his officiating career at 19-years-old under HSOHOF Fuzzy Richards. He worked his first varsity game with HOF Sam Delos Reyes and continued to climb the latter of officiating. In 41 high school seasons, he worked a staggering 13 state championship games and 31 OIA championships. In 1993 he was hired to work in the Western Athletic Conference and worked 20 years in Division I and 26 years in Division 2 and NAIA. He continues to contribute by serving as rules analyst with Spectrum OC16 as well as presenting rules clinics on Oahu and the neighbor islands.
To attend this event as well as a complete list of previous inductees, visit the HSOHOF web site at www.hawaiisportsofficialshalloffame.org.
The Hawaii Sports Officials Hall of Fame promotes positive public awareness of officials and their value to sports by recognizing and honoring Hawaii sports officials who have demonstrated the highest level of achievement, character, leadership, skill and commitment-to-officiating over a significant period.
Two BIIF athletes named to HHSAA Hall
Twelve student-athletes from across the state were named to the 42nd class of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car/Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) Hall of Honor on Tuesday — with two of them hailing from the Big Isle.
The application process consisted of 45 applicants and a 13-person selection commitee of current and former sports reporters, athletic directors and coaches. Each athlete named will be awarded a $2,000 scholarship from Enterprise.
Coming as no surprise, Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s Brooke Samura (basketball, volleyball, softball and track and field) and KS-Hawai‘i’s Maela Honma (volleyball, basketball and softball) were named to the list. Samura is committed to Pacific Lutheran University for basketball, while Honma is signed to Western Oregon for volleyball.
The official induction ceremony will take place June 2 at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel in Honolulu. For future information on purchasing tickets, please visit sportshigh.com/hallofhonor.
The official list can be found below.
• Adrianna Arquette, Kamehameha (volleyball)
• Yuta Cole, Kalani (track & field, cross country)
• Carly Cormack, Punahou (soccer)
• Diesel Del Rosario, Lanai (wrestling, eight-man football)
• Maia Esera, Kahuku (wrestling, volleyball, track and field)
• Maela Honma, Kamehameha-Hawai‘i (volleyball, basketball, softball)
• Payton Jim On, Punahou (tennis)
• Logan Lau, Mid-Pacific (judo, wrestling)
• Brooke Samura, Hawaii Prep (basketball, volleyball, softball, track and field)
• Belise Swartwood, Mililani (swimming)
• Kathleen Patiola “Lulu” Uluave, Punahou (volleyball, track and field)
• Jeremiah White, Kaimuki (football, basketball)