Every December, I review the past 12 months and write a two-part article about things I learned while researching this column.
I am constantly uncovering new facts and insights about people, places and organizations I thought I knew well. Writing Rearview Mirror is a joy for me. Here are some of the things I learned this year.
Times Supermarket
Albert and Wallace Teruya left Kewalo Inn to start Times Grill cafe and then Times Supermarket. I knew that. But I didn’t know why.
In 2020 I learned they had a brother, Herman, who wanted to own a grocery store. Unfortunately, he died fighting in Italy with the 442nd in World War II, but his brothers fulfilled his dream by opening Times Supermarket. It was a living memorial to him.
200th anniversary of the missionaries’ arrival
In May I wrote about the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the missionaries in the kingdom. I was not aware, until I began researching the article, that the mission was inspired by Henry Opukaha‘ia, a young Hawaiian man on the East Coast who had traveled to the mainland in 1807.
Four young Hawaiian men accompanied the missionaries from Boston. Three were interpreters and assistants. The fourth was the son of the king of Kauai.
The missionaries dropped anchor off the west coast of Hawaii island, and Kalanimoku and his entourage came out to greet them. The missionaries were surprised he was better dressed than they.
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