lolani Memories Kenneal Chun - 5/2026

Our class began as the kindergarten class of 1949-50 on the Ala Wai campus.The approximate location is near the present kindergarten/1st grade complex butmuch humbler than the modern facilities with are present today .. The class spent their time in two homerooms of 20 or so students were housed in adjoining duplex spitting an old army barracks building into two adjoining rooms. Kindergartenteachers were Miss Hook and Miss Wugan. As a testament to the moneystrapped condition that lolani was in for all of our time there, this building later was relocated adjacent to the Headmaster's house and served as classrooms for typing and general classrooms. Our afternoon junior English classes of teachers Reed Taylor, and George Reiger were there. My most vivid memory of kindergarten was the first day. Since there were no preschools then, this was the first time for many to be separated from their mothers so there was all the first day crying to mark the day .. I was able to calmly watch the spectacle since I had had my initiation the year prior when my mother enrolled me early in another kindergarten.
Until 1954 the Ala War campus only housed the elementary school.There was a rural flavor to the location. The head custodian lived on campus and kept a large pen of turkeys. Along Date Street there was a horse or two from time to time where there were patches of grass for grazing.

The main elementary school building consisted of a converted military warehouse.The underoof area was halved to provide one portion for classrooms and the other half for covered assembly area for large student meetings.

Shoes were required since the surrounding ground had been covered over with only a thin layer of soil to cover the coral, broken glass and nails left from clearing the area of military buildings. There were several play areas around the central building. A prominent area, referred to as the "black top" was a large asphalt covered area with basketball nets and open area for kids to run about and play there games of tennis ball baseball, basket ball, chase master and just running around. Grassy areas were for touch football with teams made up by choosing up teams with "junk n po" at the beginning of recess time between various prominent personalities like John Ishikawa, Kenny Ching, Michael Nakama, Routine plays were student body right or left, and everybody run out and hope a pass would come your way. I remember punting Gordon Ito's football with him regularly and wondering how come he could always kick it farther than I and not realizing the difference of size between us and the force that could be generated were very different.

For those who were in elementary school I will try to remember as many teachers as I can and leave you to your own memories of them. Miss Planson, Mrs. McDermott, Mrs. Spooner, Mrs Harmon, Mrs Vaughn, Miss Day, Mrs Rogers, Mrs. Dean, Miss Baack, Miss Akers, Mrs Bird, Mrs Street.

Elementary School events included the one year when dance teacher Josephine Flanders who had a studio on campus under took to teach each elementary class a dance routine. we were in the second grade .. One classs did a jail bird routine and one did a farmer dance. The entire elementary school was dressed in various home made costumes fitting their respective routines and this was performed one evening for our parents.

Mrs Harmon"s class would always put together an annual program for the rest of the elementary school to enjoy.

Other activities included all members of the fifth grade to be in the choir. JPO duty was some of the first responsibilities given to those who participated. I remember Captain John, LTs Doug Matsumoto, Colin Leong, Sgts Alvin Chong, Thomas K Sakamoto, The traffic along Date Street was less complicated and there were no traffic lights. There was drop-off at the end of Convention Drive which was also manned by the JPO before and after school. The high point was attending the end of year camp at Camp Mokuliea.

I recall a now humorous episode dealing with "growing up" This was with Mr. Friberg, our PE teacher discussing with preadolescent boys what would be required in PE in the 7th grade. He proceeded to introduce us to the jock strapfirst reminding us that it was not a face mask and then describing its use. Introduction of the concept of group showering after each class was another jolt to the sense of modesty of many of us.
In 1954 the rest of lolani School moved to the new Upper School facilities which had been completed. I was familiar with the address of 750 Laau Place and it changed to Kamoku St. as it presently is but I never learned or remember the address number to this day although my children and now my grandchildren attended lolanil. The upper campus had the new main building, St Alban's Chapel, the headmaster's house, dormitory as new buildings and older buildings including the pink barn gymnasium and a house which had been a dance studio but over the succeeding year was used as a library, study hall, and cafeteria. There was no swimming pool and the swimming team had to practice at the Armed Services YMCA, downtown. The later Student Union building was added at a cost of about 1 million dollars toward the end of our time at lolani. This latter structure has just been replaced my a brand new multimillion dollar building for food services and other activities.

At the seventh grade year there was the influx of a relatively large number of new students which would begin to round out the class and begin its development to the group it became as the class of 62. Academically there began the diversification of studies among students so that their education was no longer one size fits all curriculum of elementary school. Socially it was slightly different in that there was no longer a group of boys who had only gone to school with boys since some of the new students had been attending coeducational schools. But you could not see it in how lolani boys behaved at dances. it commonly looked like a Shaker meeting where the men are on one side of the room and the women are on the other. Only a few dancers would be on the floor throughout the evening until the last dance when everyone would try to pair off so as not to appear to be a "wall flower."

Social groupings such as Hi Y clubs developed which probably helped with the bonding of classmates which have carried over to life after lolani. For some reasonwe were fascinated with the use of names of late model cars with the names such as Impalas, LeSabre. maybe it was the prelude to guys getting their own cars or using their family cars on week ends for their escapades. Some of fads and fashion of the times bear mentioning since for those who were consumed by the desire to be keep up with the changes sometimes went thru great efforts try to comply with the standards. Hairdos requiring generous amounts of greasy pomade and styling wax sticks were the standard all during our time since it was the days before styling gel. Hair fashions with elaborate waves and laser straight parts were frequently kept in place with the ever ready pocket comb with every trip the toilet was followed by a preening session in front of a mirror. One popular style was back of both sides which in other parts of the country was referred ti as the "duck tail" but here it was referred to as "Chicken ass"

Most guys wore aloha shirts to school. But it was in the area of trousers that there came another mode for making a fashion statement. Bellbottom tailor made pants were in for a time. The best seemed to be those with the largest bell and made of thick corduroy fabric never mind that the hot and humid Hawaiian climate probably made for some discomfort. So called French toe shoes with the flat squared front which could be shined to a mirror quality was in fashion for a time and much care to find and use the best techniques regularly to keep that shine a was given by the wearer. White bucks shoes of white suede leather was another fashion fad. Great care was given by their wearers. A bag of white powder to dust them to get rid of any imperfection of color was in pocket for the purpose. Great stuff to spend one's time while also trying to avoid all the scuffs from walking around and all the muddy conditions of frequent rains of Hawaii.

The Upper school experience was a time of having exposure to multiple teachers and different teachers as each of us began to branch off into different classes and areas of study. Each of us probably can recall many of our teachers and have a memory about them. My far from complete list may help others in jogging theirmemories on who these people were and how they played a part in their lives at lolani.

Eddie Hamada -PE and coach

Charles Halter - intermediate American history and coach

Valerie Haas - Latin teacher

Whitmore Whittier - colorful Latin teacher

Lorraine McCarthy - intermediate English

Lee Thomas - Freshman English

Christa Johannes - German

Robert Molison - Choir and bandmaster Went on to teach Choral singing at the

collegiate level

Frederick Raymer - French

William Kleybocher- Physics

Albert Alberts - Biology

David Coon - College Counselor and later head master

Paul Simpson - principal

Edna Winney - History

Pearl Donnell - English

Charles Edwards - Typing

Adam Makkai - German and Russian

Rose Pickering - Chemistry

Edna Farmer - Librarian

Kenneth Okano - Shop

Rev. Arthur Ward - High School American History and Civics

Bat Donohue - German

Louise Bratcher - Spanish

Dorothy Matsinger- Speech, drama and english

Robert Burdick - Advanced Math and class advisor

Reed Taylor - English

George Reiger - English

Amaryllis Lilies- music and band teacher. heart throb and leader of the first band

which was comprised of lolani students and not students of Central Intermediate

School. Students provided their own instruments except for large ones Far cry

from the present extensive band and orchestra program now in place involving

multiple levels of abilities and instruments can be rented.

Leslie Kittle - music, band and choir teacher

James Pott - Senior English

Joseph Pynchon - Senior English

Philander Derby - Japanese

There were other teachers I remember, some colorful or outstanding in my mind and others unusual: C. A. Edwards the typing teacher with is during class smoke breaks outside the back of the class as we practiced, fiery Adam Makkai coming toHawaii after participating in the Hungarian revolution, weird Bat Donoghue, stout

Mrs. Miller whose walk reminded me of someone who was bent on getting to the nearest bathroom asap and was not to be deterred, Mr. Shepherd who had a night job as a bartender so his horrible teaching plan and program on the following mornings got him drummed out of lolani after the first quarter, Pretty Mrs Johannes for German, unfortunately associated with the condome episode. George Reiger was a recent graduate of Rutgers and was doing a year teaching before going to law school. His junior English class was a riot and the envy of the more conventional one next door held by Mr. Taylor. Our roars of laughter was probably somewhat disrupting to the serious students next door. I remember one incident when we were to read passages out loud in class in turn. One of our members was caught sleeping and was called upon to begin reading lines which began: "I am an idiot." Our classmate was totally in a fog trying to get up. His punishment was to return after school to write the lines 100 times: 11 1 am an idiot but will aspire to the moron." Another was when Mr. Reiger bought ,from one of

the frequient fund raiser drives of various clubs, a bag of iso peanuts and

proceeded to share it with the class by tossing one to each student. At this time

the usually sleepy student was alert to shoot up his hand to intercept a peanut

which was intended for the person behind him.

Notable celebrations or events which may have occurred only once or may have

recurred more often happened during our time

Peanut Day when bags of roasted peanuts were sold by the I club and kids could

eat them in class and throw the shells on the floor. Great fun but a housekeeping

disaster and only a one time affair.

Statehood Day

Interclass tug o war held annually

Mr Alberts introduction of his classes to cheeses to educate us that there were

cheeses other than American cheese and Velveeta. It was not well taken by many

and yet to me it was an opportunity which I later appreciated as an attempt to

educate us beyond the relatively insular nature of our local society which was

largely Asian/Pacific in orientation up to and for a while after WW II. With our later

education in college or other endeavors on the mainland many of us came to

better appreciate this mind set.

Lunch period and after school free time wagering with coin flipping, match or no

match or coin toss to the wall

Food fights in the old cafeteria.

Locking of an inquisitive study hall teacher in the student locker room during a

study hall in the pink barn

Turning back the clock in the pink barn before the study hall teacher arrived so we

could get dismissed early.

Strategic placement of condoms at the door of designated teachers (females of

course.)End of the year overnight camps at Hanauma Bay and Yokohama Bay (one of the

times there was a quickly aborted attempt to walk to Yokohama. remember,

Conroy?)

Burning of the I First done with our class and now is an annual ritual for seniors at

the end of each year

Sadly finding out that we were not the centennial class of lolani after diligent

historical research of some class members to try to verify the fact.

The senior lounge with its main draw being a pool table so some class members

could get in there sessions without having to go to local pool halls where the age

for admission was supposedly 18.