Community says Uncle Glen ‘a big part of capturing our student athletes for Lahaina’
Posted: April 25, 2024
When Glen Pascual wraps up his day as deputy corporation counsel for the County of Maui, he packs up his bag, gets in his car, and makes the hour-long drive from Wailuku to Lahaina.
Once there, he assembles his gear and jumps into action as a volunteer photographer for the Lahainaluna High School community.
“It’s very stressful being an attorney, and what I found is taking pictures has been one of my stress relievers,” Pascual explained. “This is what I do to take the pressure off of the day-to-day things that I have to worry about as a lawyer.”
As a 1989 Lahainaluna High alumnus, Pascual says he’s always had an interest in photography, but an injury in 2008 led to a renewed focus on the pastime. He began taking pictures of the school’s athletics teams, from posed team photos to action shots at games and matches.
“Then it kind of snowballed into what it is today, which is basically, I take pictures of everything at Lahainaluna — sports, graduation, project graduation, David Malo Day [a celebration named after a lauded scholar and historian from the school’s first graduating class]. If they ask me to, I’ll come to their proms, I’ll come to their events, and I’ll get photos,” Pascual said.
Despite his packed schedule, Pascual said, “I will tell you that it’s been one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done. It’s very satisfying, just to see the joy that it brings to other people, the pictures that I take.”
‘Everybody knows who Uncle Glen is’
Pascual’s tireless dedication to the Lahaina community earned him the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association’s 2024 Friend of Youth Award. The award recognizes an outstanding individual who works to support Hawaiʻi’s youth outside of their professional duties, dedicates time and service to this cause, and demonstrates a significant impact on youth.
Cassie-Ann Jacinto, Lahainaluna High student activities coordinator, nominated Pascual for the award.
“He is a big part of capturing our student athletes for Lahaina,” she said. “He’s driving to multiple games, multiple matches, every day. So he’s busy, and he’s doing that all out of the kindness of his heart, and his love for the community as well.”
Students and teachers alike refer to Pascual as Uncle Glen, a term of endearment in Hawaiʻi that indicates respect, love, and connection to an older individual, even if they are not related by blood or marriage.
“Everybody knows who Uncle Glen is,” Jacinto said. “Anytime students see Uncle Glen, they’re always like, ‘Uncle Glen, take a picture of me!’ They’re calling him from the stands, because they know that that’s going to get posted somewhere.”
Pascual has taken thousands of photos over the years, and shares them with the community through his Facebook and Instagram accounts, and his own photography website.
He said, “A lot of times the parents will ask me, ‘Hey Glen, how much do you charge? Or how much for your pictures?’ I said, ‘No, no, it’s free. It’s for you guys to enjoy. Just thank you for coming out for the team. Thank you for participating. Thank you for competing for Lahainaluna, and representing your school, representing your community. I’m just here just to help celebrate you guys.’ And that’s pretty much the philosophy I have.”
Photos may be all some families have after fires, educator says
Jacinto, Lahainaluna High student activities coordinator, says Pascual’s impact on youth is priceless, especially after raging wildfires devastated the community last August.
“Given what’s happened in our community recently, for me personally, I’ve realized how important photos are, and for some families, that might be all they have,” she said.
“With him being able to capture all these memories, for me, it’s been really helpful,” Jacinto added. “This yearbook is going to be very historical given everything that’s happened in our community, and he’s helping me kind of encapsulate everything that’s happened this year.”
The fires hit Pascual deeply. “When the Lahaina fires happened, it was so devastating, and people literally lost everything,” he said. “When I heard or realized that a lot of the pictures or mementos that they might have had were lost, I just felt terrible. But I knew that I still have those stored somewhere.
“Knowing that my pictures can bring some joy at least into their lives, or at least preserve a little bit of the memories that were lost from the fire, it means a lot to me,” Pascual said.
Pascual says he’ll continue to capture Lahainaluna memories “as long as I can move and walk and hold a camera.
“I know these people. I love these people. I love where I’m from. I love what this community is all about,” he said. “And this fire is devastating. I don’t know how we’re going to recover from it. If my pictures can play a little bit of a part in perpetuating what Lahaina is about going into the future, I feel like I’ve done my job.”