Statewide County HI Archives News.....Important people of Hawai'i -- Part 2. July 21, 2008 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/hi/hifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 August 3, 2008, 7:21 pm Keepers Of The Culture, A Study In Time Of The Hawaiian Islands July 21, 2008 Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 July 21, 2008. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Historical Collections of Hawai'i Keepers of the Culture A study in time, of the Hawai'ian Islands Hawai'i's Important People - Part 2 by Darlene E. Kelley ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Part 2 Hawai'i's Important People LYDIA AHOLO (1878-1979) Lydia Ka'onohiponiponiokalani Aholo, the hanai (adopted) daughter of Queen Lili'uokalani, was born on February 6, 1878 in Lahaina, Mau'i, in the Kingdom of Hawai'i. She was born of the Honorable Luther Aholo, who was a Lt. Governor and Minister of Interior under the reign of King Kalakaua. Her mother, Keahi, died six days after her birth. This is when Queen Lili'uokalani requested that she be brought to her. She was then brought to the Queen from Lahaina, Mau'i to Honolulu by her maternal grandparents, Lo'e and Kawehenao, The Queen immediately retained her grandparents in her household. During her childhood, she lived at Queen's home at Washington Place, which is now called the Governors Mansion and also at the Queen's Summer home at Kapalama, which was called Mu O Lau La Ni, ( meaning embryo of the leaf ). She had a very happy childhood playing with the children of the Royal household. She attended the Kawaiha'o Seminary, during the early years and later she attended the Kamehameha School for Girls. She was a member of the first graduating class for girls in 1897. She then attended Oberlin College in Ohio, where she majored in Music and Secretarial Sciences. After college,she returned to Hawai'i and joined the staff of Kamehameha Schools. One of her duties was to teach Hawai'ian and she was an excellant stenographer and accountant. She also worked for the Teachers College of Hawai'i, wich was affiliated with the University of Hawai'i. For many years, she worked for the Hawai'ian Homes Commission and for the Federal Credit Union as a Secretary Teasurer. At the age of 75, she still took shorthand and kept accounting books. She ws finally forcd to retire at the age of 75, because this was the maximum age limit for a person to be working. She lived in the Queens household until the Queen's death, which occurred when she was still in College. Afterwards she went to live with her nearest blood relative, a niece, Mary Keeahi Aholo, her brother's only daughter, When Mary Aholo married Alfred Apaka Sr., Lydia resided with this family and thir children until she was 88 years old. She was a teacher all her life. She never married nor adopted any children and yet she had a genuine interest in children She was instrumental in assisting many children of Hawai'ian ancestry to attend the Kamehameha School. She was known as Tu-Tu by many of the students who became lifelong friends. She was very strict in etiquette and taught the Apaka children the proper way of conducting themselves at home or in public. She was so concernd about the children's welfare, especially the girls, that she even chaparoned them on dates in the same car, even when they were 21 years old Each grandneice and their children benefited by the oppertunity of having Lydia with them, sharing with each of them the love ad wealth of her knowledge. Since music was one of her majors in her education, she was able to assist Alfred Apaka Sr., in proper phrasing, interpretation and enunciation of the Hawai'ian songs he sang. She was also one of the directors of the Liahona Glee Club, which was ade up of members from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Club being organized in 1920. Her greatest love and affection were showered on her grandnephew, the late Alfred Aholo Apaka, who became a famous singer in Hawai'i. She taught him about Hawai'ian Music, as she had taught his father. The piano and the organ was some of the instruments she played very well. She played as a pianist in the church of Later Day Saints at the Hoolehua Branch on the island of Moloka'i. Some of the Queen's musical talents had been instilled in her, and she never refused ones musical need for help. Lydia was tiny in structure and had a very keen mind. She carried herself very nicly, dressed moderately, and could be very critical. Her training during early cildhood in manner and courtesy became apparent as she got older. At the age of 88, she was admitte to Maunalani Hospital due to her health and the attention she needed. The hospital became a place of security to her that she made it a home. She loved to go out for visits, but she always felt she had to return to the hospital, which she considered her home. She enjoyed dining out and visiting nightclubs until she was 96 years old. At the age of 97, she had an accident where she fell and broke her hip. She had an successful operation and was nursed back to her normal self, however, she was afraid to try and walk. so she used a wheelchair to move about. She had a remarkable mind and could converse with anyone intelligently at the age of 100 but after this her hearing became slightly impaired. She died quietly on July 7,1979 at 101 years, 5 months and 1 day. She was survived by one nephew, three grandnieces, 11 great-grandneices and nehews, 12 great- great-grandnieces and nephews, the Mahoe and Adams families who are related from the Pule and Pauli line on her Grandfathers side. ++++++++++++++++++ Alfred Aholo Apaka (1919-1960) Alfred Aholo Apaka was born in Honolulu in 1919 and died suddenly in 1960. His stunning baritone voice and good looks earned him the title of " the Golden Voice of Hawai'i." He graduated from Roosevelt High School where he was an athlete, singer, emcee, and ROTC Cadet Captain His family moved to Moloka'i but he and his sisters were slammed because their English was too good. His Grand Aunt was Lydia Aholo, the hanai daghter of Queen Lili'uokalani, was instrumental in some of his training. The family moved back to O'ahu. His father, Alfred Aholo Apaka, Sr., was also a singer and often preformed with his son. The Royal's Orchestra leader Don McDiamid Sr., gave Alfred his first professional break, hiring him as lead singer. He next traveled to New York and performed at the Hotel Lexington with Ray Kinney. He returned to the Royal and was a featured singer on "Hawai'i Calls" That led to a regular gig with the Moana Serenaders at the Moana Hotel. He moved on to Don The Beachcomber's where Bob Hope 'discovered' him ad took him to Hollywood for his T.V. show. Appearing with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby brought him many recordings and he opened at the Kaiser Hawai'ian Village in 1955. For many adults, a visit to Hawa'i included listening to Apaka's romantic ballads. His untimely death was widely mourned and he was buried with a microphone in his hands. Apaka married Edna Blake in 1945 and the couple had one son, Jeff, who too, was a good singer and followed in his father's footsteps. +++++++++++++++++ RILEY HARRIS ALLEN (1884-1966 ) Born in Colorado City, Texas, Allen attended the University of Wisconsin and received a batchelor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1905. He married Suzanne McArdle in 1910. Having acted as a reporter for the Honolulu Eveing Bulletin for a year, he left a Seattle newspaper four years later to become city editor of the Bulletin in 1910 and was named editor of the Star-Bulletin when the Hawai'ian Star and Evening Bulletin combined in 1912. Allen served with the American Red Cross in Siberia dring World War I, and returned to the editorship of the Star-Bulletin in 1921. he was active in many community affairs and was a champion of statehood for Hawai'i for thirty-five years. For years, he was the only non-chinese active member of the Hawai'i Chinese Civic Association. He was given an honorary degree by Chaminade College in 1962, the Korean cultural medal the same year, and the Liberty Bell Award in 1966, the year of his death. +++++++++++++++++++ EDNA ALLYN (1861-1927) Born in Hiram, Ohio, Edna Allyn attended Hiram College and the taught school for many years. She attended the Western Reserve Library School and took a master's degree at Columbia University. She came to the islands and in 1907 was appointed librarian of the Honolulu Library and Reading Room, as well as of the Hawai'ian Historical Society Library, housed in the same building. She helped to develop the old system into the Library of Hawai'i, dating from 1913. She expanded the city service into a territory wide organization and held the title of first Librarian of Hawai'i. She gave much attention to the needs of child readers, and the children's wing of the downtown branch was named for her in 1929. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Continued in part 3. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/hi/statewide/newspapers/importan21nnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/hifiles/ File size: 9.5 Kb