Today's DAR
Visiting the Aloha State
On February 11, 2015, my husband and I flew from Houston to Honolulu for the 92nd State Conference, Mary Ellen Smith, State Regent. State Chaplain Pauline Wagnon greeted us at the airport with leis and took us to our hotel. Unfortunately, I had injured my knee a few days prior and hobbled around on crutches and in a wheelchair, well aware I would not be hula dancing...
The first chapter in Hawaii, the Aloha Chapter, was organized in 1907 and became the first of our overseas chapters. When Hawaii became a state in 1959, the Hawaii State Organization was formed. It now has 286 members on three islands (Oahu, Hawaii and Maui).
The next morning Diane Hom and husband, John, gave us a tour of the island and drove us to the ‘Iolani Palace, the only royal palace in America. We were greeted by Docent Juanita Allen, who provided an excellent history of early Hawaii including King Kameheha and the generations of royalty that succeeded him.
A short distance from the Palace was Washington Place where we were warmly greeted by Corinne Chun Fujimoto, Curator. Washington Place was built in 1842 by sea captain John Dominis, whose wife, Mary, was an early supporter of the Mt. Vernon Ladies Association. Their son married a Hawaiian who later became Queen Lili‘uokalani. When the royalty was overthrown in 1893, the Queen was placed under house arrest at ‘Iolani Palace for awhile before moving to Washington Place which later became the official residence of the Governor. Corinne had a delightful surprise for us as she led us into the garden to see a plaque placed by the Aloha Chapter in 1932, commemorating the 200th birthday of George Washington. The plaque marks the spot where a Breadfruit tree was planted in honor of our first President.
We were fascinated by the Mission Houses Museum, including the oldest wooden structure in Hawaii. In 1819 the Rev. Hiram Bingham sailed from Boston as part of the Congregational Church (now United Church of Christ) missionaries to Christianize the natives. Sailing around Cape Horn, they brought with them a house that was pre-cut in Boston. The organizing Regent of Aloha Chapter, Agnes Scott Judd, was a descendant of one of the Missionaries and her son was the governor in residence at Washington Place in 1932 when the tree was planted.
Across from the Mission Houses Museum is the Kawaiaha’o Church, constructed with over 14,000 coral blocks from 1836-1842. Designed by Rev. Bingham, the church was at one time the national church of the Hawaiian Kingdom and chapel of the royal family. It is one of the oldest standing Christian places of worship in Hawaii and a portion of the services are held in the Hawaiian language.
Thursday evening we joined Mary Ellen Smith and Garlyn Warren for a luau at our hotel. After cultural demonstrations, the conch shells blew and we enjoyed a traditional dinner of cucumber and papaya salad, seaweed, lomi-lomi (raw salmon, tomatoes and onion), fresh pineapple, fried bananas and roast pig while watching the performers and learning more about Hawaii’s history.
Friday morning Jane Mann, Aloha Chapter Regent, drove us to Pearl Harbor for a visit to the USS Arizona where Mary Ellen and I had the honor of placing a wreath in memory of the victims. As we were leaving the memorial, a ship sailed by and we were humbled to see all the sailors on deck saluting the Arizona. Nearby was the Punch Bowl Cemetery where 25,000 victims of Pearl Harbor and other Pacific conflicts are buried.
We were invited to tour the USS John Paul Jones, a destroyer, by Junior member Melissa Dennis (Petty Officer 2nd Class). Jane drove us through Hickham Field (now Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam) where Jane pointed out shrapnel damage on some of the buildings which occurred during the strafing of Pearl Harbor. The damage has been left unrepaired as a reminder. During lunch we were excited to see a submarine heading to sea. It was interesting to learn that Jane is a graduate of Kate Duncan Smith DAR School and her grandfather was instrumental in organizing the first basket lunch to persuade DAR to build a school at Grant.
Jane then took us to the Aloha Chapter House where I was fascinated to see a framed certificate of Liquidation for Memorial Continental Hall. In order to retire the debt on our first building, Founder Mary S. Lockwood asked every member to pledge one cent per day for a year. Aloha Chapter has an extensive genealogical library containing over 3500 volumes which is open to the public, virtually the only genealogical library in the state. The chapter has been invited to participate in the restoration of Hawaii’s Merci Train. In gratitude for our service in France in World War I, the government sent 49 boxcars full of gifts, one for each of the 48 states and one shared by D.C. and Hawaii. http://www.mercitrain.org/
State Parliamentarian, Cindy Evans hosted the members from the Hawai’i Loa Chapter on the Big Island to a sunset reception high above Waikiki Beach at the Sheraton Hotel. Cindy is a State Representative and made history as the first female Majority Floor Leader.
The 92nd State Conference began Saturday morning at the Honolulu Country Club with more than 75 in attendance, including associate members from Michigan and Texas. Mary Ellen presented each State Officer and Honorary State Regent with fragrant ginger leis. I loved hearing of the activities of the state officers, chairs and chapter regents, particularly their outstanding community service. Not only did the state claim more than a 10% net increase in members, they also have over 32% subscription rate for the DAR Magazine. Darlene Kaneshiro made four beautiful patriotic quilts for the hospice center at Tripler Army Hospital. Jane presented a proclamation from the Mayor declaring June 24-28 DAR Days in honor of our 125th anniversary. Most impressive was the opportunity to present certificates to all three chapters for 100% participation in the President General’s Project. This was especially significant as the chapter on Oahu was just organized in June, 2014.
The luncheon was a joint event with the SAR and both organizations presented awards. All enjoyed the many door prize drawings and I won a letter opener made from the beautiful Koa wood.
That evening we flew to Kona on the Big Island with Mary Ellen and Garlyn. Sunday morning Steve and I headed to the north coast and stopped along the way to admire the magnificent view while watching humpback whales that migrate to these warmer waters in the winter. Sunday evening Mary Ellen and her husband, Bob, hosted a dinner party at their home where we were warmly greeted by old friends, Bea and Mike Dalton, who escape the New Hampshire winters every year. While enjoying a delicious dinner of Crab Imperial on the lanai, we couldn’t get enough of the million dollar view of the ocean at the Smith’s home.
On Monday, Steve and I drove to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park where we enjoyed the cool temperature while dining at Volcano Lodge. We had a front row seat to watch the Kilauea crater’s glow appear as the evening darkened. The next morning we drove to the Hawaii Botanical Gardens north of Hilo before departing for bidding Aloha and heading for home. The islands are all so beautiful and I do hope we can return again.