Talking Hawai'i's Story: Oral Histories Of An Island People (biography Monograph)

TALKING HAWAI‘I’S STORY ORAL HISTORIES OF AN ISLAND PEOPLE MICHI KODAMA-NISHIMOTO WARREN S. NISHIMOTO CYNTHIA A. OSHIRO Talking Hawai‘i’s Story A P U B L I CAT I O N OF T H E The Center for Oral History (COH), Social Science Research Institute, College of Social Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa, was established in 1976 by the Hawai‘i State Legislature. COH preserves the recollections of Hawai‘i’s people through oral interviews and disseminates oral history transcripts to researchers, students, and the general community. COH also develops books, articles, catalogs, brochures, photo displays, and videotapes based on oral histories; serves as a resource center for oral history materials; and trains groups and individuals in oral history research. Talking Hawai‘i’s Story Oral Histories of an Island People EDITED BY MICHI KODAMA-NISHIMOTO WARREN S. NISHIMOTO CYNTHIA A. OSHIRO A BIOGRAPHY MONOGRAPH PUBLISHED FOR THE BIOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH CENTER BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I PRESS 2009 © 2009 Center for Oral History All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 14 13 12 11 10 09 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Talking Hawaii’s story : oral histories of an island people / edited by Michi Kodama-Nishimoto, Warren S. Nishimoto, Cynthia A. Oshiro. p. cm. “A Biography monograph.” ISBN 978-0-8248-3390-9 (softcover : alk. paper) 1. Hawaii—Social life and customs—20th century—Anecdotes. 2. Hawaii— Biography—Anecdotes. 3. Oral history. I. Kodama-Nishimoto, Michi. II. Nishimoto, Warren S. III. Oshiro, Cynthia A. DU627.5.T356 2009 920.0969—dc22 2009004547 University of Hawai‘i Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Council on Library Resources Design and composition by Center for Oral History Printed by Versa Press, Inc. CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS VII INTRODUCTION IX Faustino Baysa Hawaiiano 1 Abigail Burgess and Lillian Cameron A Family Tradition 10 Agnes Eun Soon Rho Chun Pälama to Pearl Harbor 20 Severo Dinson Kona is the Best 35 Henry K. Duvauchelle Hard Work and Pleasures, Too 42 Martina Kekuewa Fuentevilla Hänai Granddaughter 50 Ernest Golden Like Going to Heaven 60 Alice Saito Gouveia A Brave One 69 Venicia Damasco Guiala From Classroom to Pineapple Field 80 Robert Kiyoshi Hasegawa Unity of the Family 88 Lemon “Rusty” Holt The Rascal of Waikïkï 106 Jennie Lee In A Basic Personality of Liking People 116 Mae Morita Itamura An Independent Woman 129 Emma Kaawakauo Waikïkï, It’s Part of Me 138 Robert Kahele The Sharecropper 148 Moses W. “Moke” Kealoha Proud to be Pälama 154 Helen Fujika Kusunoki Fond Memories of Waikïkï 164 Frederick P. Lowrey Building a Better Hawai‘i 174 Ernest A. Malterre, Jr. Sugar Plantation Memories 191 Stanley C. Mendes Togetherness Was There All the Time 201 Fred Ho‘olae Paoa My Kälia Home 211 Irene Cockett Perry Interwoven Memories of Läna‘i 219 Alfred Preis Interned: Experiences of an “Enemy Alien” 230 Alex Ruiz Always a Rebel 239 John Santana You’re Your Own Boss, Nobody Boss You 248 Etsuo Sayama Civilian in Wartime Hawai‘i 257 Willie Thompson Working Cowboy 271 Kazue Iwahara Uyeda The Store That Carried Everything 280 Edith Anzai Yonenaka Recollecti