Just above Konawaena High School’s Julian R. Yates Field is a monument that seldom catches the eye of passing pedestrians.
Just above Konawaena High School’s Julian R. Yates Field is a monument that seldom catches the eye of passing pedestrians.
Last year, agriculture teacher Maverick Kawamoto challenged his students to not let this memorial, bearing Lewis James Macfarlane’s name and the year 1939, slip into obscurity. He tasked them to uncover exactly why such a structure was erected in stone.
They discovered a photograph showing a crowd gathered at the memorial, dressed with a wreath, which was then located next to the baseball field and below the administrative office. Through research and conversations with kamaaina rancher Billy Paris, Kawamoto and his students learned Macfarlane was one of the pioneers who helped make Kona coffee known throughout the world and the manager of Captain Cook Coffee Co. in Kealakekua, one of two companies that controlled more than half the Kona coffee crop during the first half of the 20th century. Kawamoto said Macfarlane also was a big donor to Konawaena and probably a baseball fan.
That exercise of uncovering the anonymity cloaking this campus fixture proved the importance of preserving the school’s multilayered history and not letting it fade from memory. It spurred Kawamoto and his students to create a museum honoring Konawaena’s heritage and pride.
“If you don’t save history now, it can be lost,” said Kawamoto, who also serves as the museum’s director and the school’s Career and Technical Education Center department chairman.
The effort also is in preparation for the school’s centennial celebration, which is just seven years away.
“Konawaena was established in 1921. At its inception, and for over 40 years, Konawaena operated on what was then known as a ‘coffee schedule,’” Kawamoto said. “This means that summer vacation was shifted to winter months to allow the students to assist their families by working on the farm and harvesting the coffee cherries. This made it impossible for the school to form a football team, as potential players were often needed on the farm during the sporting season.
“It is this interesting fact, as well as boasting of such notable alumni such as NASA astronaut Ellison Onizuka and Medal of Honor recipient Rodney Yano that make Konawaena such a unique part of Kona’s history.”
The museum is in the recently remodeled Val Izuno Career Transition Center. By having the legacy on display here, its creators hope it becomes a source of inspiration for the students who come here to explore and share their aspirations, as well as receive guidance in making them a reality.
They also hope to have regular guest speakers, some of whom can share their career path, industry insights or advice and others willing to share stories about their time at Konawaena and Kona’s history. In addition, there will be opportunities for students to serve as volunteer docents.
“This museum is culture, history and everything Konawaena is today. It’s a way of telling our story and sharing it in a fun way with the public,” said 17-year-old senior Luz Ruiz. “Since we started this project, it has created a lot more school pride among the students, teachers and staff, and even in the community. For students who visit the museum, we hope they’re inspired to do their best and that they know nothing is impossible.”
Museum visitors can view black-and-white photographs of the campus, students and activities from yesteryear. There also are artifacts, such as uniforms, a metal locker filled with old textbooks, a vintage desk, school newspapers, yearbooks and agriculture equipment from the past. On the walls are interesting facts about featured items, the school’s history, notable contributors and accomplished alumni.
For example, Konawaena’s first senior class dwindled from 17 to five graduates; the Konawaena News, a student newspaper, began publication in 1935; the first school clock was installed in 1930; and Konawaena became the first Hawaii chapter of Future Farmers of America in 1928.
Assembling the collection of items required Kawamoto and the students to search the Internet, libraries and old yearbooks, as well as to get help from the Kona Historical Society, school staff, alumni and residents. The project is bridging generations and connecting people in the community, Kawamoto said.
Wesley Himalaya, a 16-year-old junior, is one of the museum’s curators. Throughout this project, he has gained a greater appreciation for his school while also learning the art and value of historical preservation. He’s also proud to attend the same school as his mom’s side of the family.
A fascinating tidbit Himalaya said he recently learned was the school’s colors used to be blue and white, and Konawaena students were known as the Knights, not the Wildcats. It was coach Louis Collins who changed the colors to green and white, after getting old football jerseys from the University of Hawaii in 1927. Collins was a veteran of the UH “Wonder Team of 1925” and installed systematic training work at Konawaena.
In 1928, Konawaena’s football team played St. Louis School on Oahu for the first time. There, radio announcer Ezra Crane, when describing the game, declared, “These kids are fighting like wildcats!” Thus, the mascot was changed.
“I love stories like that and it’s important that this info is not left behind in some forgotten book somewhere,” Himalaya said. “History is more than telling us how old our school is. History binds us, helps us explain who we are, and helps us know where we came from and where we’re going. You can’t take it for granted.”
Still, the museum is a work in progress.
Donations from the community are being sought, including photographs, artifacts (sport uniforms, equipment, plaques, ribbons, trophies), memorabilia (yearbooks, furniture, logo gear, textbook), stories and any available information surrounding the items. Monetary contributions also are needed to help create a physical storage of the contents, Kawamoto said.
Fine arts students in Michelle Obregon’s class are creating a vibrant mural depicting the school’s past, present and future, as well as its embrace of technology. The 4-by-16-foot piece, which will be hung near the museum’s entrance, has the school’s motto, a Kona Nightingale, coffee cherry, three seniors who will be graduating this year, the space shuttle Challenger, a solar-powered vehicle and a computer motherboard.
The goal is to have the museum completed by May, also when a grand opening will be hosted. The museum will be open during school hours or to the community via scheduled visits, Kawamoto said.
Email Carolyn Lucas-Zenk at clucas-zenk@westhawaiitoday.com.