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| By José Villa, Senior Editor Every weekday morning the Hickam Air Force Base Fitness Center opens at 4:30am. At that time, a variety of people start coming in the door for their workout. Some are young military men and women trying to stay fit. Some are dedicated athletes that may devote an hour to working a single body part. Some are older men and women trying to get in shape or maintain their fitness level. And some are older folks that know firsthand “if you don’t use it, you lose it.” The way he greets everyone, shakes hands and wishes his fellow athletes a great day, you’d think he was running for office. But, indeed, Pagan is running for his life. Everything about him says “professional.” He wears the familiar back brace the more serious weightlifters use. He wears the professional gloves. He has a personal trainer that he checks in with to review his routine for that day. Because he’s a regular and he’s serious about his training, the others regulars give him respect. Pagan is just like every other serious athlete in that room except that he’ll be 79-years-old this month (August 12th)! Our staff caught up with Pagan after one of his workouts to get his story. We asked him why he works out. He said he started when he was 60 to improve his physical fitness and the quality of his life. He admitted that many times he has to "work through some pain." But he told us: “I wake up at 4:00am every morning without an alarm clock. It may be a day when I really don’t feel like getting out of bed and driving all the way from Pearl City to the fitness center. But then I lay there and think about how much worse I’ll feel later when I beat myself up for not doing the right thing for me and my family. That normally does it and I’m out of the house in a flash.” Is it working? Apparently it is. After 18 years of this physical regimen – which he didn’t start until he was 60 -- he doesn’t have to take any medications. It’s increased his strength, his flexibility and his disposition. He highly recommends regular physical activity, after consulting a doctor, to other seniors. Pagan is what we call a “local Rican.” His grandfather, Domingo Sayas, was one of the 5,000 Puerto Ricans brought here by the Hawaii Sugar Planters Association from 1900 to 1901. In 1899, San Ciriaco, a tremendous hurricane had pounded Puerto Rico for two days and left its agrarian society devastated. Mr. Sayas was one of those now-unemployed agricultural workers that brought his family to Hawaii seeking a better life. He brought Pagan’s mother, who was about five years old, to this new land. Pagan grew up in the Kaimuki and Palolo sections of Honolulu. When he was 12-years-old, he remembers playing outside one Sunday morning when he mother yelled at him to come in that “we’re at war.” He wasn’t sure what that meant, but did as his mother requested. He showed our staff a copy of the special edition the Honolulu Advertiser published that day -- December 7, 1941. He’s kept that copy for 67 years. As soon as he was old enough to enlist, he joined the Army. He served four years and then transferred to the Air Force, where he served 24 years and reached the rank of Chief Master Sergeant. From there he went on to an occupational safety career with the state and worked several years at Barbers Point Naval Station. We then discovered that Pagan is a veritable encyclopedia of Puerto Rican history in the islands. Among the things he showed our staff (and we’ve attached some of the photos): the 50th anniversary of Puerto Ricans in Hawaii commemorative book (1950); a 1950 picture of his beautiful Russian/Puerto Rican wife, who he has been married to for 58 years; a 1950 picture of an all-girl Puerto Rican softball team that played in Lanakila Park; and a 1947 photo showing a Puerto Rican men’s baseball team boarding Trans-Pacific Airlines flight (original name of Aloha Airlines) for a tournament in Maui. In short, he has more than enough information for us to write several stories about him. Those will have to…puff…wait until we can go …puff… through an hour’s workout…puff…with him at his pace! |
| 79-year-old Latino inspires Hawaii military fitness center members! |
These folks come in a variety of shapes, colors, and
sizes. Some go through a warm-up routine before
jumping on a treadmill. Some go right to their
favorite elliptical or stationary bike. Others go
directly to the free weights. Still others go for the
comfort of the machines. Some drag in, start
exercising and it’s a full 15 minutes before they
actually wake up. Others are friendly and looking
forward to a good workout.
But nobody sticks out or knows as many people as
Al Pagan. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday rain
or shine -- Pagan arrives at about 4:45am. He is the
unofficial “mayor” of the Hickam Fitness Center. He
has a smile, a "good morning" and kind word for
every person he runs into in the center.
In that hour or so before dawn, when some of our
roosters are still sleeping, Pagan is already lighting
up the day at Hickam.
sizes. Some go through a warm-up routine before
jumping on a treadmill. Some go right to their
favorite elliptical or stationary bike. Others go
directly to the free weights. Still others go for the
comfort of the machines. Some drag in, start
exercising and it’s a full 15 minutes before they
actually wake up. Others are friendly and looking
forward to a good workout.
But nobody sticks out or knows as many people as
Al Pagan. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday rain
or shine -- Pagan arrives at about 4:45am. He is the
unofficial “mayor” of the Hickam Fitness Center. He
has a smile, a "good morning" and kind word for
every person he runs into in the center.
In that hour or so before dawn, when some of our
roosters are still sleeping, Pagan is already lighting
up the day at Hickam.
| La Cocina What recipies are making it in some homes. |
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100% Latino -owned & -operated
| Hawaii Hispanic Statistics |
Residents 105,172
Percentage of
Hispanics population
in Hawaii 8.2%
Percentage of
Hispanics population
in Hawaii 8.2%
| Hawaii Hispanic History Fransisco Marin planted the first pineapple in the kingdom of Hawaii. |
