Here is the tribute to Scott Metcalf that I shared at his life celebration yesterday: Campus Days: A Tribute To Scott Metcalf While I shared a lot in common with Scott through our connections as Punahou employees, soccer coaches and alumni, I also grew up in a house next door to the Metcalfs and I want to share with you what it was like growing up together in one of the most wonderful child-rearing communities on earth, the Punahou campus. Along the Diamond Head edge of the campus grounds once stood over 20 houses and duplexes where faculty and their families resided. New buildings and roads have since replaced those homes, but the memories and friendships we created still live in our hearts and minds. Campus life as a kid was magical. The campus was our back yard and we knew every inch of it. Outside of school hours there was always a flowing pack of campus kids of various ages roaming the grounds. We played all day and night on fields, playgrounds and the pool, but the greatest games were the ones we invented and played in the Winne Units, Rocky Hill, the Lily Pond, the Banyan Tree or even our own spacious yards. We played sports, but we also played games with names like Kick The Can, Sabatoogie, or Mud Bowl. We played hard in this safe and friendly neighborhood and in any given weekend pick-up game, kids from 10 or more families could be represented. Even the security guards gave us some leniency to be kids and play. The Metcalfs lived at 7 Slade Drive and my family lived at 9 Slade Drive. The two houses were adjoined by a common yard divided only by a few coconut trees and a large bamboo bush at the far end. I remember the Metcalfs having cool stuff around the house like surfboards, customized bikes, hammocks and a pool table on the back patio…and were always being trailed by their shaggy dog named Waggy. While Scotty was the youngest of the four Metcalf children, I always saw him as a tough kid. Former campus kids Rocky Higgins, Lindy Rowan and Marci Woodruff describe Scotty as a rough and tumble kid with a glow of happiness surrounding him and just a touch of mischief in his eyes. I was also five years younger than he and admired the talents and skills of my older neighbors. When Scotty, Craig and Kyle would play outside, my curiosity would take me to the front porch to watch their newly invented escapades. They played rough and were often conjuring up a new thrill-seeking adventures using equipment like skateboards, unicycles or customized bicycles. One particular memory I have occurred when I was about 8 or 9 years old and heard a commotion in the front yard. The 3 Metcalf boys had just hauled out a large black rubber inner tube, the kind with the 4 air valve spike protruding from its inside wall. I went to my front porch to watch from a distance as they rolled this giant inflated inner tube back and forth, at and over each other. Then, they had and idea. They wanted to sit Scott inside the hole of the inner tube and roll him down the sloping grassy yard to the other end. Im not sure what kind of coaxing or bribery ensued, but Scott agreed to be the crash-test dummy and tucked himself inside the tube to take a ride. The human tire was perched on the upper edge of the yard when Craig and Kyle counted to 3 and gave the inner tube a shove. Scott, clutching to the inside wall of the tire, summersaulted down the yard gaining momentum with every revolution. But the tube never reached its expected destination at the pokey bamboo patch. Instead, it veered to the right and met an unyielding obstacle, a coconut tree. I then learned the physics behind a fast moving rubber object and a stationary, well-rooted tree. The result was an upward projection of the tube several feet in the air where body and inner tube separated and both came crashing down to earth with a thud. As Scott lay on the ground, Craig and Kyle bounded up to him shouting cheers of praise, which gave Scott the energy to rise to his feet in a triumphant daze. I think what happened next is that as I sat on the top step of the porch in awe and amazement, I noticed Craig glance over at me and give me that inviting mischievous grin as if to say, wanna play? at which point I quickly got up and retreated into the house. It was obvious that Scott cherished his younger days on campus. In recent days he would introduce me to visitors and friends as Matt, my next door neighbor growing up on campus. I believe those campus kid experiences instilled in him an appreciation for the school and for the interconnectedness of Punahou families and friends. Scott valued relationships. Scott was rough and tumble, but grew to be one of the most honest, dependable, kind and generous friends I knew. That is why we love him so much. God bless you, Scott. Aloha
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 22:42:53 +0000