From Our Files

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In 1888, King Kalakaua issued a royal charter, commissioning a magazine. Then titled Paradise of the Pacific, this publication became HONOLULU Magazine, making it the oldest magazine west of the Mississippi.

1948

“Some voluntary adoptions are successful; some others are not,” writes Paradise of the Pacific, predecessor to HONOLULU Magazine, in a public-service piece explaining the process of adopting children locally. “There is no absolute insurance against illness or misfortune in a family. … However, many tragedies can be avoided by careful pre-adoption study.” Among the magazine’s insights: “Selection of the most appropriate child is important. … A child of mixed racial parentage best fits the mixed couple of similar racial makeup.” And “some couples are happier without children. … Adoption to cement a shaky marriage is not advisable.”

1953

Even after 20 years of business, the Hawaiian Room in New York’s Hotel Lexington continues to lure large audiences with its brand of Island entertainment. Hawaiian entertainers, such as orchestra leader Ray Kinney, flocked to the city to perform at the popular venue. Pictured at right are some of its performers. The Polynesian-inspired interior featured “low ceilings, low lights, authentic Hawaiian decorations and the soft tones of Hawaiian songs and dance music. At the appropriate moments a tropical storm over Waikiki Beach, with rain, lightning, thunder and wind, is reproduced in a corner grotto.”