Page 8 - MIdWeek Kauai - Nov 17, 2021

8 KAUA‘I MIDWEEK NOVEMBER 17, 2021
FROM PAGE 7
cart he returned.
“I would follow the pas-
lied constantly because of my white-color skin. When I was a freshman at Farrington, I would be playing basketball and somebody would do a layup and I would say, ‘Nice shot.’ And the guy would come over and punch me in the face.”
a pair of its classrooms. He says the projects cost him about $100,000 out of his own pocket, but the money and time spent were well worth it because he not only believes “in doing what’s right,” but he also receives “immense joy in helping others.”
sengers after they checked in, and because they couldn’t take the carts beyond securi- ty, I would be right there to take the carts away for them,” he explains. “Four or five bucks later, I now had enough money to go to Fun Factory!”
Despite his share of pain- ful and unjust experiences, Gangloff refused to let them poison his view of humani- ty. A graduate of Farrington High School, he returned to his alma mater in recent years after he was asked to renovate
But while Gangloff was busy learning how to earn cash, he was also being ex- posed to the cruel realities of living in some of the roughest neighborhoods on O‘ahu.
“People might ask why I do so much when I was treat- ed that way. The fact of the matter is I see myself stand- ing up for the underdog, for the person who cannot defend himself,” Gangloff explains.
The Nakaoka ‘ohana — mom Darcie and sons Ryce and Ayce — enjoy their ride through one of the show’s lighted tunnels. PHOTO COURTESY ARYN NAKAOKA
As he recalls, “I was bul-
“WhenIdowhatIdo,Ibe- lieve I’m just doing what I re- ally felt other people should have done to me. I’ m being the opposite person of how I was treated.
father, but he got his heart from his mom. In recent years, that heart has been further softened and shaped by his wife, Joy.
“I said, ‘Eh, hon, I was wondering if I could buy some things for the show with our savings? We’ll get our money back — I’ m sure we will,’ ” remembers Gan- gloff. “And without hesita- tion, she said, ‘Yeah, hon. Go ahead. Let’s do it’ — and we literally stopped looking at homes right after that.”
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“But make no mistake of it, there were people that were there for me along the way; there were plenty of people who made a huge dif- ference and did help me, so I’ m not grumbling about my
In recalling the weeks leading up to the 2020 light show, he remembers lying in bed with her one morning and wondering if she would be willing to make a sizeable sacrifice. At the time, the cou- ple had saved a half-million dollars to buy a home. Know- ing that the show would be in jeopardy if he wasn’t able to purchase a key item, Gan- gloff decided to ask his wife the unthinkable.
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So what exactly did he buy with the money he and his wife had saved for a home?
Gchildhood,” he adds.
“In fact, I would not change one iota of it.”
“I spent it on Christmas lights,” he confesses.
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4-796 Kuhio Highway, Kapaa www.bullshedrestaurant.com
angloff may have inherited his work ethic from his step-
Of course Gangloff did. It’s just how he’s wired.