From Our Files

May archives

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.

1950

The Territorial Legislature called for a convention in anticipation of statehood for the Islands, reports Paradise of the Pacific. Legislators wanted to prepare the Islands by first drafting a sound constitution. “The 63 [convention] delegates were elected in the second largest vote in Hawaii’s history on March 21.” Once the constitution was drafted, it was up for approval by voters, and then sent to Congress for action. Legislators were hoping to make Hawaii the 49th state, but it wasn’t until nine years later that the Islands became the 50th state. The next ConCon would be held in 1978.
 

1970

“Baseball just ain’t the same this season,” observes HONOLULU Magazine. Chuck Leahey, who for 22 years “has been announcing—and mispronouncing—sports for station KGU, isn’t voicing Hawaii Islander games.” It got to be too much for Leahey, who worked full-time as the athletic director for the 14th Naval District. That year he continued to announce basketball and football. Baseball, he says, “is the toughest sport to announce because there’s so little action. You’ve got to be a good ad-libber, especially when the game’s delayed.” Leahey passed away in 1982, but his son Jim and his grandson Kanoa continue the tradition of sports announcing in the Islands.
 

1990

What do the Brothers Cazimero have in common with Judy Garland, Ray Charles, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones? All of them have performed at Carnegie Hall. “After performing their annual May Day concert at the Waikiki Shell, the brothers and their troupe of 20 singers and hula dancers will take their blend of traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music to New York City,” writes HONOLULU. The magazine sits down with the brothers less than two weeks before the big trip. Roland and Robert prefer to play in their home state, don’t mind the occasional free plate lunch and aren’t worried about staying contemporary. “Every album for us is a new experience,” notes Robert.