Howard Hills

In college Howard lived on a 9 acre farm in the coastal mountains of Sonoma County, grew organic vegetables in a 50x25 yard garden, canned fruits and mushrooms from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and took daily rides on his Morgan mare Heidi.

Sohkes rock overlooking the harbor at Kolonia, Ponape

The mountains of Kosrae in the background form the profile of the fabled "Sleeping Lady of Kosrae," overlooking the Lelu Harbor and the packed coral airstrip still under construction when Hills arrived by ship.

Howard wades out to the fringe reef near the Village of Malem in Kosrae to check out waves and surf conditions.

Back at home in front of his beach shack Hills relaxes in his lava-lava after an outdoor shower.

View of Howard's beach house from the shore of the lagoon.

Selfie on beach in front of Howard's shack on the water.

Hanging out on the beach waiting for the sun to relent before going out to surf

My best friend in the Pacific was Jim Hagerstrom, a retired lawyer from San Diego who was sailing through Micronesia with his family on a yacht they built as a family project before he retired.  Before that, however, he was U.S. Air Force Col. James P. Hagerstrom, a fighter pilot who was a legend among legends, having been a rare "Double Ace" in World War II (6 kills in air-to-air combat with Japanese Zero aircraft) and in Korea (8 MIG kills), awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Silver Star.  He also flew dozens of missions in Vietnam before resigning due to objection to Pentagon ordered tactics that put people under his command at undue risk without any military purpose.  His wife Lee was a WACS pilot in WWII when they met, married, and had 7 children.   We lived on their boat with them in the islands, and later Jim and Lee later came and lived we us on Bolling AFB in Washington DC.

The Sleeping Lady of Kosrae astride Lelu Harbor

The road to Howard's beach house.

View from the bridge over the river mouth near Howard's beach house.

I met her in a rain storm then photographed her swimming in a river.

Pacific Daily News headlines on daughter Helen's achievement as Valedictorian in DC public school graduation.

After Lura and I were married this was our first house in the Village of Lelu

On our honeymoon in Saipan

At my Aunt Jean and Uncle Max's ranch in Sacramento on our first trip to California.

With our daughter Helen at Hills family home in Pasadena

With Helen back in Guam before joining Navy JAG

 Our family went from two to five in no time, as we gathered the clan and made our move to DC via Newport, Rhode Island

The official profile only hinted at the adventure we were having as a family living in DC.

Vacation in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Navy lawyer at beach cabin on first vacation from pressures working at National Security Council

With two year old Natalie at home on Bolling AFB

Lura in town for lunch on a sunny winter day, White House grounds in background.

With daughter Helen for family Christmas songs at home of neighbor on Bolling AFB, as USMC JAG lawyer who was in real life the defense counsel in the court martial case dramatized by the movie "A Few Good Men."

On vacation in Laguna Beach 1985

With Helen on way home from work downtown, stopping at Washington Navy Yard to play tennis on same secure courts in converted pre-WWII military industry buildings used by Washington's power elites (sometimes had to give up my court for VIP's)

With Natalie and Lura Joy at Francis Scott Key School in Washington DC, where Lura and I were on PTA for 18 years.

Back in Laguna for 20th LBHS Class of '70 Reunion, official photo for reunion album, in which vendor listed us as "Howard Hills and Guest" to our amusement.

With Natalie at Brock and Marci Lyster's house in Laguna.

The Hills girls on vacation in Laguna

Halloween at Francis Scott Key School as Rastafarian to Lura Joy's in Pocahantos.

Coaching daughter Natalie's soccer team in Washington DC, after three seasons in the cellar the girls caught fire and we won a league championship, fueled by Hagan Das ice cream bars used to ensure attendance at all practices.

Coaching daughter Natalie's soccer team in Washington DC, after three seasons in the cellar the girls caught fire and we won a league championship, fueled by Hagan Das ice cream bars used to ensure attendance at all practices.

Laguna Beach News Post article by Barbara Diamond on our family's history in my hometown when I returned to live here in 1999.

All five Hills kids together in 2004.

Youngest daughter Lura Joy with my wife Lura and I posing in character for historical period project with legendary Top of the World School 5th grade teaching Team of Irish and Flores.

Stanford University, daughter Helen's graduation.

With granddaughter Thalia (left) and friend.

Helping grandson Dais, named after our son Dais, find Easter Eggs hidden too well by stupid Easter Bunny.

Lura with Grandson Dais downtown Laguna Beach.

Daughter Lura, 5th grade, underwater at LBHS pool.

 A favorite shot of me and my wife at Trestles the day I caught the best wave of my life.

Stalling to let wave line up before trimming for speed on the inside ride.

Kayaking at Trestles 

My eighth grade daughter Helen in White House for ABC broadcast of Town Hall meeting with American Youth in February 1993, a month after Clinton was sworn in, she was on a panel that met with the President.

All dressed up for U.S. Marine Corps Birthday Ball with Orson Swindle, who was staying with us in our Brooks Street house.  Orson was a Marine Corps jet fighter pilot who was shot down on a combat mission over Vietnam and spent over 7 years as a POW in the Hanoi Hliton.  He was guest of honor at the invitation of the Camp Pendleton base commander and going to a party at his military housing residence before the ball reminded Lura and me of our days on Bolling Air Force Base.    We became close friends with Orson and his wife in Washington and the Pacific when they were both involved in Micronesian affairs.

Our son Dais at graduation from U.S. Marine Corps boot camp at Paris Island, South Carolina, his Aunt Judy at left, my wife Lura and our daughter Natalie.

Hills clan at Stanford for Helen's graduation.