Baron

As the launching day for the Chieftain approached, a traditional Hawaiian blessing and ceremony was planned. The ship was not complete, but it was ready to plunge into the ocean at Mala Wharf in Lahaina.

Baron's mother, Maud, who was eighty-five years old at the time, traveled from California with her personal assistant to take part in the monumental inauguration. Maud, still a lively soul, required some travel assistance, as she was elderly and walking with a cane.

Before leaving for Hawaii, an unusual thing happened to Maud at the San Francisco airport. Her aid was away for a moment, and Maud was sitting in the waiting area alone. She noticed a distinguished older gentleman sitting across from her, winking and making faces. He was an attractive white-haired man, elegantly dressed in a white suit and hat. Maud, being a proper lady, did her best to ignore his flirtations. But he continued taunting. Finally, the determined gentleman brazenly walked up to Maud and stood in front of her. Maud's eyesight was failing but before he introduced himself, she recognized who it was. It was Dr. Laurence Dorcy, her ex-husband.

Unbeknownst to Maud, Laurence had also invited his father to attend the launch of the Chieftain. He was eighty-three years old and had been battling cancer for quite some time. Like Maud, he needed the help of a caretaker to attend the event. Although Maud and Dr. Dorcy had not spoken for years, she was overjoyed to see him.

When they arrived in Lahaina, Maud and her assistant stayed in Baron's apartment in Lahaina on Front Street. Dr. Dorcy stayed close by and Maud decided to invite him for a special luncheon. She still remembered her ex-husband's favorite things to eat. With the help of her assistant, she arranged a shopping excursion, handpicked his favored foods and prepared an exquisite lunch for him. They enjoyed the meal together with their caretakers. Despite years of separation and the distance that had grown between them, they shared delight in their son's achievement.

On June 12, 1988, several key people were invited to the ceremony. But no one expected the entire town of Lahaina to show up! Front Street was closed, and thousands of people arrived to witness the launch of the Chieftain. Baron was surprised and a little nervous, but ultimately pleased by the turnout.

Laurence Jr. gave his mother the honor of christening the Hawaiian Chieftain. After the Kahuna, Hawaiian priest, bestowed his blessing on the ship and its future journeys, Maud broke a bottle of champagne across the bow with her son at her side. Maud's beaming smile expressed the pride she felt for Laurence's achievement.

With cannons blasting and thousands of spectators cheering wildly, two hefty bulldozers pulled the gigantic Chieftain, on its launching sled, into the water at Mala Wharf. Everyone enjoyed kalua pork from nine pigs that had been slow-roasted in the ground in traditional Hawaiian style. It was a rare event for the nautical town of Lahaina.

With the launch of the Chieftain, Baron gave the people of Lahaina a unique and memorable experience. Inadvertently, he also blessed his parents with a final reunion. Fifty-five years after the young couple had traveled to Hawaii for their honeymoon, Laurence and Maud were reunited on Maui for an unexpected rendezvous. They both attended the launch of the tall ship and subsequent celebrations with their first-born son. They both expressed pride at his accomplishment. Despite their age and need for caretakers, his parents traveled the distance to be there for their son's moment in the spotlight.

Less than three months later, on August 25, 1988, Dr. Laurence Dorcy died of cancer in Brentwood, California. Baron took the death of his father very hard. More conscious than ever of the impermanence of life, Laurence Jr. began contemplating the creation of his own legacy – something to be remembered by.