Obama worked to fit in at elite school
Updated: 2008-03-27 09:20
In a state that defines people by the high school they attended, Hawaii's public school students often view Punahou graduates as elitist and scoff at them even into adulthood.
Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, reminded voters before Hawaii's recent Democratic caucus that Obama went to Punahou, which he said "was not a school for the impoverished."
Inouye, 37 years older than Obama and a graduate of public McKinley High School down the hill from Punahou, is supporting Obama's rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in the Democratic presidential race.
Obama shot back that he attended the school on a scholarship and was raised by a single mom and grandmother.
"Shame on Danny for trying to pull that stunt," he said.
Obama's feelings of not fitting in were heightened by his race. As one of the few black students at Punahou -- and among a small group of blacks on the island -- he remembered in his memoir someone wanting to touch his hair and being asked whether his father ate people on his first day of school.
He wrote about struggling with his racial identity and turning to marijuana to block out the questions.
But classmates and teachers say Obama blended in well. He served on the editorial board of the school's literary magazine, played varsity basketball and sang in the choir. He went on the occasional date.
A self-described "goof off" who didn't focus on work and spent much of his time thinking about girls, Obama did well enough.
"He was just a normal boy," said Bob Torrey, who taught Obama US history and described him as a B-student. "He was very popular with his classmates."
In his memoir, Obama said his status improved over time, his prowess as a basketball player helping him make some of his closest friends. And in a December 2004 visit to campus, he spoke positively about his experience.
"There was something about this school that embraced me," he told students and faculty, "gave me support and encouragement and allowed me to grow and prosper."
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