By Karen Welsh
Some people are a mainstay -- a fixture -- in our everyday lives. We may not know their names, but their faces are as familiar as bread and butter. They are always there and somehow that lends a sense of well-being and comfort to an otherwise hectic day.
That's Gabriel "Tony" Adviento, a Freeman Security guard faithfully working in the parking lot at the Bank of Hawaii building on Pauahi Street in Hilo.
Come rain or shine, 70-year-old Uncle Tony has watched over this piece of asphalt for 15 years. He can be found sitting under a large umbrella, spocking all vehicles coming in and going out of the property. Tony makes sure only qualified people are using the specially marked handicapped or employee spaces.
Other times, he is there to give someone the time of day or directions. During busy moments, usually around the first and fifteenth of the month, he's up and about, blowing his whistle while directing cars in and out of the narrow parking stalls.
Whatever his task, there's something warm, wonderful and secure about finding Uncle Tony sitting by his white 1951 four-door Mercury Sedan. Just the sight of him sitting next to this classy vehicle turns back the hands of time to a more gentler and caring era.
Yes, Uncle's presence makes me smile when turning off the hustle and bustle of the main road and into the safe and inviting haven he's created for those lucky enough to enter his domain.
I must confess, however, that up until this interview I'd never spoken to this notable man. Normally I swing around to the drive-thru window or park in the back of the lot and enter through a door that didn't require crossing his path. I simply took him for granted.
On this special day, however, it was time to get up close and personal. It only took a minute or so before I realized many people go out of their way to not only talk story with him, but to also bring him special gifts of food and beverages.
"Da peoples always bring me all kinds junks and grinds," Uncle Tony said in Pidgin English. "Sometimes I need my big car to haul it all home."
Some bank customers walk past and say Uncle Tony is an local icon and a statue needs to be erected there in his honor. Others simply feel he should run for mayor.
Uncle Tony jokingly claims they are serious.
"I know everybody and everybody knows me," he said. "If I don't come for one day they ask the other security guard, 'Where Uncle stay?'"
With all his celebrity, it's surprising to find out Uncle Tony is not a Hilo native. He was born and raised in Waimanalo on Oahu. He became a professional glazer or a "glass man" cutting glass and mirrors after graduating from Farrington High School in 1953.
Tony said working with glass in those days was extremely risky work. There were no cordless drills or modern conveniences to make it safer.
There were some close calls. In 1959 Uncle Tony fell down five stories off a high rise building while working in Honolulu. Against all odds he survived, but there is still a metal rod in his leg that serves as a reminder of the near disaster. Uncle Tony had another serious accident in 1971, when he received a deep gash that took time to heal.
In 1972, Tony ended up in Hilo Town to complete yet another glass job. During that time, however, Tony met and fell in love with Rowene, his wife for nearly three decades, and settled in Keaukaha.
In his spare time, this special uncle loves to ride one of his three motorcycles, do yard work, play his homemade bass or cook.
But mostly, this pure-blooded Filipino man with a Hawaiian heart spends his time lavishing warm aloha on everyone who crosses his path. And, people respond positively to his caring spirit, making him a local landmark in the hearts and minds of those living in East Hawaii. And you, dear Uncle Tony, can take that to the bank.