Performing at Pearl Harbor

Don Eudaly (’78) in an attorney in Little Rock, Arkansas, but he considers himself more of a musician than a businessman. On Dec. 7, 2016, Eudaly performed an original song at the 75th National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Commemoration at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu.

His song, “White Sailor Hat,” was inspired by a story told about his father, who served in the Navy in the South Pacific. When his parents were returning from mission work in New Zealand in the mid-90s, they visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial and saw where his father’s childhood friend was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

“My mother saw him standing on the point where the Arizona is, and she said he was really somber,” Eudaly said. “There is an air force base there, and as two jets came and circled and flew back over where they were — he was not standing too far from the flag that was whipping in the ocean breeze — he stood, straightened up and saluted as the jets flew over.”

Eudaly recorded the song in 1996, and it was played on the radio for the 60th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Eudaly was invited by the Navy and the state of Hawaii to perform the song for the 75th anniversary after Eudaly’s sister sent a copy of the song to the Navy.

During the memorial event, Eudaly met several war survivors who shared their personal experiences with him.

“It was a real honor to be invited,” Eudaly said. “The survivors were so sharp and got to tell stories. Just talking with those guys was a real honor.”

Eudaly has performed “White Sailor Hat” at several other military memorials, including the Vietnam memorial in Missouri. He has also written and recorded songs and jingles for local radio stations.

While at Harding, Eudaly majored in business and performed with the traveling trio The Time of Day, which he appeared with on “The Gong Show” in 1977. He previously worked in the advancement office until enrolling in law school in 2008.

—Savanna Distefano