This day in history for August 3

1939

As is always the case when a good man leaves for a better position, Hilo was sorry and glad to hear Judge Delbert E. Metzger of the 4th Circuit Court was named to the federal district judgeship in Honolulu by President Roosevelt.

Since there is nothing to indicate his appointment will not be confirmed by the senate, we speak, in this editorial, having no doubt that Judge Metzger will shortly be taking over his new position. Behind Judge Metzger’s appointment is the recognition in the national capital of his fine record of public service.

A man who has quietly gone about his duties in Hilo, it is not presumptuous to state that many persons in Washington were far more aware of the faithful discharge of his obligations during his years as a public servant than most of the people who know him in the territory.

A kamaaina — he has resided principally in Hawaii since 1899 — who has done much not only in the realm of public service, but in the field of civic and patriotic activities, Judge Metzger will leave behind him, when he departs for Honolulu, countless friends who, as we said before, regret and welcome the high honor that has come to him.

Our sincere congratulations to Judge Metzger. The loss of one of Hilo’s most distinguished citizens will be Honolulu’s gain.

It is appropriate at this time, too, to extend congratulations and welcome into our community Judge Metzger’s successor, J. Frank McLaughlin, assistant United States district attorney in Honolulu.

1964

Visitors from 18 states (including our own) and Washington, D.C., made their way to the Lyman House Memorial Museum last month to inspect the Big Island collection of Hawaiiana and missionary artifacts.

Adding up Americans and visitors from other places, 293 persons toured the museum in July. This beat the June total of 250 by 43. The breakdown was reported by Mrs. Kathryn Lyle, curator.

Besides 52 people from California, she said, there were sightseers from Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wyoming.

Long distance visitors came from Australia, Canada and Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. Mrs. Lyle noted that 120 of the 293 visitors were children. Sixty-one of these came as members of summer school classes in Keaukaha, she said.

Also enjoying the exhibits was a pack of Cub Scouts from Honokaa.

1989

A Pepeekeo teen’s wish for a fun-ship cruise is about to come true.

Marsi Tajon, 16, who was stricken with a devastating form of leukemia this spring, will be taking her parents and three brothers to California on Saturday for a cruise to the Mexican Riviera. The trip is being sponsored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a nonprofit organization that grants special wishes for children fighting life-threatening illnesses.

Marsi, a pretty, high-spirited Hilo High School senior, will not be able to attend her classes this fall. She will be in Honolulu getting a bone marrow transplant at St. Francis Medical Center.

The transplant, if successful, will allow Marsi to avoid extensive chemical therapy. Marsi was diagnosed late this spring with Acute Myelocytic Leukemia, a cancer with only a 30 percent cure rate without a bone marrow transplant. If the transplant is successful, the patient’s ability to produce normal blood cells is restored, providing a chance for therapy-free survival.

The staff at Kapiolani Medical Center, where she was being treated this spring, referred the Foundation to Marsi and quickly and smoothly arranged the cruise. …

Marsi, who’s been to California but never to Mexico, is looking forward to the cruise, which she’s wanted to do ever since seeing it advertised on television.

This Day in History is compiled by Brandon Haleamau for the Tribune-Herald using newspaper archives. Whenever possible, the news accounts provided in this column were taken verbatim from the newspaper.