By Bob Sigall If you were lucky enough to live on Oahu in the mid-1970s, you probably remember the Territorial Tavern on the corner of Bishop Street and Ala Moana Boulevard. There was a renaissance taking place with Hawaiian music in the 1970s, and the Territorial Tavern was ground zero.
Have you ever done something that takes on a life of its own? That's what happened to Charles M. Cooke and his wife, Anna Rice Cooke. Both were children of missionaries. In 1882 they built a home on Beretania Street and Ward Avenue, across from Thomas Square.
By Bob Sigall I spoke to the Wahiawa Historical Society last month in a beautiful room at the Wahiawa Botanical Gardens. Its members inspired me to write about the interesting facts about their community.
By Bob Sigall This year the Hawaii State Library on King and Punchbowl streets celebrates its centennial. However, the library's history dates back 34 years earlier to 1879, to the Honolulu Workingmen's Library Association.
Last week, I talked to Linda Coble about how her television news career began. This week, we'll look at her time at KGMB, where she worked with some of Hawaii's finest journalists.
By Bob Sigall About eight years ago I joined the Rotary Club of Honolulu, the largest and oldest in the state. I met many interesting people in the club, and one of them is Linda Coble.
By Bob Sigall Since I wrote my first "The Companies We Keep" book, many people have shared great stories with me about Hawaii people, places and companies. It's often a couple of stories a week, and led to my second, third and, next year, a fourth book.
By Bob Sigall Looking for art? Hono­lulu has several galleries and museums. There are many places to go. But you probably haven't thought of the Oahu Cemetery and Crematory in Nuuanu. You might be surprised to find that it has the finest and most abundant collection of 19th-century graveyard art in Hawaii.
By Bob Sigall Last week, La Pietra-Hawaii School for Girls asked me to speak to their students about the Dillinghams.
By Bob Sigall The movie about the career of Jackie Robinson — "42" — is being released today. Robinson is well known for being the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball.
By Bob Sigall In January 1900 a fire burned down much of Chinatown. Men, women and children fled. Some went to a camp at Queen and South streets in Kakaako, where an old kerosene warehouse once existed.
By Bob Sigall You might wonder whether nicknames or mascots are interchangeable terms. Usually they are. Mascots are often costumed characters or animals, while nicknames might not take a physical form.
By Bob Sigall When Barack Obama was a student at Punahou, Don Ho was performing in Waikiki. One of Ho's long-running jokes was that there should be a Hawaiian president. It was time. He volunteered himself for the job. "President Ho," he suggested. "I'd move the White House to Hawaii and call it the Ho House."
By Bob Sigall Last week I spoke to the Honolulu Quarterback Club. This is a group of Hawaii sports enthusiasts that meets every Monday for lunch at Maple Garden restaurant on Isenberg Street.
By Bob Sigall The Ilikai Hotel has had its share of drama recently. I'm not going to recount its current legal and financial issues, but rather look back to its opening 49 years ago last week, in 1964.
By Bob Sigall Byron's Drive-In on Paiea Street closed Thursday after 47 years in operation. It was an end of an era that began in 1955 and stretched to 17 restaurants.
By Bob Sigall New University of Hawaii athletic director Ben Jay has decided that, beginning in June, the men's athletic teams will be called Warriors. The women's teams will be Rainbow Wahine.
By Bob Sigall You've probably heard of Highway Inn, the Hawaiian food restaurant in Wai­pahu. But did you know the founder learned the restaurant business in Arkansas and California internment camps during World War II?
By Bob Sigall One of the most beautiful love songs ever written, "I'll Remember You," was penned by Kui Lee around 1964.
By Bob Sigall Longtime Honolulu Advertiser columnist Eddie Sherman died last week. He was 88. He was friends with and wrote about many celebrities, such as Bette Midler, Don Ho, Kui Lee, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando.
By sigall@yahoo.com Bob Jones has come out with a book about his career in news, called simply "Reporter," about his adventures in Hono­lulu, Vietnam, Spain and other places.
By Bob Sigall One of Hawaii's greatest entrepreneurs died last week. Lex Brodie was 98. When I interviewed him for my first book in 2001, he said he was interested in writing his own book.
By Bob Sigall My editor and I were talking about the decision to close Macy's downtown on Fort and King streets. Several articles have looked at the site, which, for more than 100 years, was a Liberty House, or H. Hackfeld & Co. as it was called before that.
By Bob Sigall In my first column of the year, I thought I’d look at some of the companies and organizations that have significant anniversaries coming up this year.
By Bob Sigall Many teachers will tell you the key to educational success is parent involvement. Kids spend more time at home with their families than they do at school, and the encouragement and support parents give is often the deciding factor in whether that child does well in school.
By Bob Sigall Hostess Twinkies' bankruptcy in the news last week reminded me of a story Jon de Mello told me about Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, who loved Twinkies and struggled with overeating. Jon was his producer and lifelong friend.
By Bob Sigall Which hotel chain began with the founders renting out a single room in their house? The answer is Outrigger Hotels.
By Bob Sigall Today is the 71st anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. It was a date that would live in infamy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt told us, but there are some interesting, little-known aspects of the attack that most of us don’t know.
By Bob Sigall One particular Hawaii community has a special relationship with the USS Missouri. Do you know which one it is? Surprisingly, it's Kalaupapa. It began more than 100 years ago.
By Bob Sigall Hawaii tourists in the mid-1930s had a problem. They went to luau at night and took pictures of the singers and dancers, but the low light and poor cameras caused the pictures to come out too dark to see.
By Bob Sigall Who was the King of Pidgin? The first person to use pidgin in advertising seems to be Cho­taru Miya­moto, who founded Musa­shiya in 1896.
By Bob Sigall We've all seen the motion picture trailer at Consolidated Theatres. It shows canoe paddlers at dusk, a hula troupe walking with torches and then dancing. It's called "Hawaii," and it's been in use for 20 years. Here's the story behind it.
By Bob Sigall Retail guru Glenn Kaya brought GEM to Hawaii in 1958. A lot of people think it was local, but it started in Denver in 1957, Kaya said. GEM stood for Government Employees Mutual, and you had to be a member to come into the store.
By Bob Sigall Could Oprah Winfrey have inspired the creation of a local nonprofit? The answer, surprisingly, is yes.
By Bob Sigall Which famous musical group got its start at Punahou School? This threesome launched an interest in folk music and paved the way for such artists as Peter, Paul & Mary and Bob Dylan.
By Bob Sigall What are high school students capable of? We tend not to take them seriously, but in 1943, students at McKinley High School showed us what they could do with the right motivation. They raised enough money during World War II to buy a new B-24 Liberator bomber for the military.
By Bob Sigall More than 250,000 people in Hawaii access the World Wide Web though Oceanic Cable's high-speed internet service. Since 2010 the company has been moving away from its service Road Runner. Before it does so completely, I thought I'd explore its history.
By Bob Sigall Ruth Midler named her baby, born on Dec. 1, 1945, after one of her favorite actresses, Bette Davis. "My mother was a seamstress," Bette Midler recalls.
Locals who regularly go to Las Vegas are familiar with the California Hotel. But most of us don't know that the founder of the hotel, Sam Boyd, once worked in Hono­lulu and Hilo.
By Bob Sigall In the early 1950s a concerned group of Hawaii businessmen saw a need. A growing number of minorities were seeking to buy homes and start new businesses.
By Bob Sigall Which theaters did Joel C. Cohen consolidate into the chain that entertains Hawaii today? When I asked executives at Consolidated, they didn't know.
By Bob Sigall Royal Hawaiian hotel bandleader Harry Owens had a daughter born on Oct. 19, 1934. Her name was Leilani. He was inspired to write "Sweet Leilani" for her as a lullaby.
By Bob Sigall When sugar was transforming Hawaii 120 years ago, the plantation leaders had a problem. Their workers were from many different countries, spoke different languages and had unusual names.
By Bob Sigall KSSK's "Perry & Price Show" has been the top-ranked morning drive radio show in Honolulu for nearly three decades. It was launched 29 years ago last week, the same day that Kilauea began erupting on Hawaii island -- Aug. 9, 1983.
By Bob Sigall Hal Lewis, better known as J. Akuhead Pupule, was the top deejay in the islands from 1947 until his death 29 years ago on July 21, 1983.
By Bob Sigall The story of Kuakini Health System begins with the California Gold Rush and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, when thousands of Chinese came to the United States for the gold rush or to work on the railroad.
By Bob Sigall It was love at first sight for 22-year-old Shirley Temple, who met Hawaiian Pineapple Co. executive Charles Black at a party in Hono­lulu in 1950. The party was at the Diamond Head home of Hono­lulu neurologist Dr. Ralph Cloward.
By Bob Sigall Daniel Inouye has represented Hawaii in Congress since statehood. He talked about his first week in Washington in a speech to the Hono­lulu Rotary Club at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in August 2009.
What's in a name? Everything, apparently, when it comes to Spam. What we call Spam began in 1936 with a generic name: Spiced Ham. Competitors were quick to copy and outsell it.
By Bob Sigall Did an Amelia Earhart plane crash on Ford Island in 1937 contribute to her death four months later?
By Bob Sigall In the 1920s and 1930s, where did Oahu's wealthy go for a retreat? The answer may surprise you. They went to Pearl City. At the time, Pearl City referred to the peninsula that extended into Middle Loch. The district didn't extend beyond Kamehameha Avenue until after World War II.
By Bob Sigall Last week, we looked at the Hawaiian Room at the Lexington Hotel in New York City, which opened 75 years ago this week in 1937.
By Bob Sigall Beginning in the 1920s, a wave of fascination with Hawaii and Polynesia swept the United States. From the mid-1930s until the 1960s, Hawaiian- and Polynesian-themed showrooms, restaurants, bars and hotels sprang up around the country. Nearly every large city had one.
By Bob Sigall One hundred years ago, women playing golf was frowned upon. While others discouraged them, the Oahu Country Club embraced female golfers, at least by standards of the early 1900s.

A lot of people drive by the Oahu Country Club off Pali Highway and have no idea it has been the premier supporter of women's golf in Hawaii.

 Hawaii played a key role in measuring solar system 

By Bob Sigall This week's column concerns me a little because it's about science.

 Bruddah Iz's 'Rainbow' shines brightly worldwide 

By Bob Sigall Which local song has had more impact around the world than any other? It's on Hawaii's only double-platinum album. It's been used in more than 80 movies and TV shows. Its YouTube video has been viewed 70 million times. Which song is it?

 Retailer weathers disasters to keep serving Hawaii isle 

By Bob Sigall If you're looking for interesting stories of Hawaii companies outside of Hono­lulu, Hilo is a good place to start.

 Island radio broadcasters hit the air 90 years ago today 

By Bob Sigall After dinner, many of us turn on the television. Cable TV today carries more than 200 channels, but when I was young, in the 1950s, there were just four channels and all were in black and white.

 Foodland keeps thriving and evolving after 64 years 

Hawaii's oldest and largest supermarket chain had humble beginnings, 64 years ago this Sunday. It was founded by Maurice J. Sullivan, who left his native Ireland in 1927 for New York with $7 in his pocket.

 Crossroads sign marked popular Honolulu drive-in 

By Bob Sigall
Special to the Star-Advertiser Honolulu once had a sign that was more photographed than Diamond Head, according to Kodak officials, who counted them one week. Some say it was the most photographed sign in the world.

 Kaiser laid the groundwork for Hilton Hawaiian Village 

By Bob Sigall In 1955, Henry Kaiser bought the 8-acre John Ena estate in Waikiki. He then added a 6-acre parcel that was formerly the site of the Old Waikiki hotel, built around 1900 and redeveloped into the Niumalu Hotel in 1928.

 Barbershop quartets, beer once graced Merrie Monarch 

The "Olympics of Hula" we know today began humbly as a way to stimulate the economy after the 1960 Hilo tsunami.

 Honolulu's first drive-in fed hungry folks for 76 years 

By Bob Sigall Banker George C. Knapp and Realtor Elwood L. Christensen founded KC Drive Inn in 1929.

 City Mill embodies the value of perseverance, hard work 

By Bob Sigall
Special to the Star-Advertiser Chung Kun Ai, the founder of City Mill, came to Hawaii with his father in 1879. The 14-year-old went to Iolani College for two years — the only formal education he would receive.

 For decades, Liberty House served as isle retail's 'fat cats' 

By Bob Sigall
Special to the Star-Advertiser Once the biggest of the Big Five, Liberty House was started by German sea captain Heinrich Hackfeld in 1849. Hackfeld first came to Hawaii with a ship's hold full of silk clothing, crockery, dry goods, hardware, pens, pencils, window glass and other household items. His wife, Marie, her 16-year-old brother, J.C. Pflue­ger, and a nephew, B.F. Ehlers, arrived with him.

 Wheelbarrow full of gold marked origin of Bankoh 

By Bob Sigall Bank of Hawaii could be the largest company in Hawaii founded by a competitor's disgruntled customers.

 Steeped in history, the Moana exudes elegance in Waikiki 

By Bob Sigall A century has come and gone since the Moana opened its doors on March 11, 1901, 111 years ago this week. The Moana was the first luxury hotel in Waikiki.

 Wo Fat restaurant lives on as name of ‘Five-0’ villain 

By Bob Sigall At 123 years, Wo Fat was Hawaii’s oldest restaurant when it closed in 2005. Wo Fat was opened in 1882 by Wat Ging. Ted Wong, the owner from 1973-1978, said he was told the name Wo Fat means “peace, prosperity and harmony.”

 Beloved Arakawa's founder had humble plantation start 

By Bob Sigall Small stature is not necessarily a disadvantage. Okinawan immigrant Zempan Arakawa found an opportunity in it. Arakawa grew up in Onaha village, Okinawa, the second son in the family. "The first son had to remain and take care of the family," said his youngest son, Goro.

 De Lima proves delightful decade after funny decade 

By Bob Sigall What did Imelda Marcos think about Frank De Lima's impression of her? Hawaii's greatest, most outrageous comedian isn't afraid to go out on a limb for a laugh. He's been known to do Mufi Hannemann, standing on a stool with a bad wig. Tina Turner? Fair game. Elvis? Why not?

 KHON's Joe Moore declined chance to be a 'Five-0' star 

Which TV newsman was almost hired when James MacArthur decided to retire from "Hawaii Five-0"?
Most "Hawaii Five-0" fans know that MacArthur decided not to return for a 12th season of the groundbreaking crime series set in Hawaii.

 Pink hotel's storied history reaches back 85 years 

By Bob Sigall The year 1927 was a historic one for Hono­lulu. Several important buildings opened that year, including the Hawaiian Electric building, Bank of Hawaii (at King and Bishop streets), the YWCA on Richards Street, the Academy of Arts and St. Francis Hospital in Nuuanu.

 Alfred Apaka’s voice, music brought Hawaii to the world 

By Bob Sigall Before Don Ho there was Alfred Apaka, the Golden Voice of Hawaii. During the 1950s Apaka was Hawaii’s most famous entertainer, and his show was a must-see for all visitors.

 Hawaii's Walter Cronkite recalled TV's funny stuff 

By Bob Sigall Bob Sevey anchored the KGMB News from 1966 until he retired in 1986. Before that he was with KULA and KHVH, which later became KITV. When astronauts first landed on the moon in 1969, 91 percent of viewers were tuned to his KGMB broadcast.

 Distinctive geodesic dome was razed for hotel's tower 

By Bob Sigall For more than 40 years, Waikiki was home to one of the oddest-shaped buildings in the state, the geodesic dome at the Hawaiian Village hotel. Set slightly off the corner of Ala Moana Boulevard and Kalia Road, the Kaiser dome was the first of its kind in the world.

 A few remnants of Hawaii endure 100 years later 

By Bob Sigall In 2012 you can make a deposit at Bank of Hawaii, buy bread from Love's Bakery or a bicycle at Eki Cyclery. You can shop at C.S. Wo or City Mill. One hundred years ago, in 1912, you could have made a deposit at Bank of Hawaii, bought bread from Love's Bakery or a bicycle at Eki Cyclery. You could have shopped at C.S. Wo or City Mill.

 Tahitian Lanai brought tiki culture to Waikiki 

By Bob Sigall If you lived in Hawaii in the 1960s and 1970s, you probably dined many times at the Tahitian Lanai. It was an exotic outdoor restaurant and bar with tropical drinks and tiki-torch ambience.

 'Old Blue Eyes' cherished his longtime ties to Hawaii 

By Bob Sigall Francis Albert Sinatra was born 96 years ago this month, on Dec. 12, 1915. His neighbor across the street in Hoboken, N.J., was Matteo Giordano, who became Sinatra's personal chef before opening Matteo's Restaurant in Los Angeles in 1963.

 First Christmas in Hawaii was celebrated by sailors 

By Bob Sigall Many assume the missionaries brought Christmas to the islands, but they did not believe in it or celebrate it since it's not mentioned in the Bible. Christmas came to Hawaii in many small steps, according to Roger Bye of Hawaiian Dredging, who wrote about it in 1951.

 'Moving Company' traveled far beyond its disco origins 

By Bob Sigall A Hawaii TV show was the most successful, longest-running weekly local prime-time show in the country. It dominated the airwaves for two decades and won multiple Emmy awards. What was it? Here's one more hint: It began as a disco program.

 Mitchell's song references Honolulu's Foster Gardens 

By Bob Sigall Which site in Nuuanu did Joni Mitchell write about in her hit song "Big Yellow Taxi"? "They paved paradise, put up a parking lot. With a pink hotel ..." -- a description of the Royal Hawaiian.

 Sisters of St. Francis led the way in isle health care 

By Bob Sigall In the 1860s, Hansen's disease -- then known as leprosy -- was rampant in the Hawaiian islands. When Father Damien de Veuster heard that there was no religious leader at the colony on Molokai for those with the disease, he volunteered, and in 1873 started his mission.

 Pineapple became an icon and an important isle crop 

By Bob Sigall New York has the Statue of Liberty. Paris has the Eiffel Tower. For 60 years, Honolulu had the Dole Pineapple. Lit at night and visible from as far away as Waikiki Beach and two miles out to sea, the Dole Pineapple water tower quickly became a Honolulu landmark.

 Islanders' accomplishments exceed their home's beauty 

By Bob Sigall With 20,000 APEC delegates in Hawaii this week, I thought I'd focus my column on some little-known but amazing things that people from Hawaii have accomplished.

 Honolulu Stadium still lives in vivid memories of fans 

By Bob Sigall It was built to last 15 years when it opened in 1926, but we played ball there for half a century. Honolulu Stadium at King and Isenberg streets opened on Nov. 11, 1926, 85 years ago next week.

 Pan American Clippers changed Hawaii forever 

By Bob Sigall In 1931 three men met in New York. Their focus was China, but their actions would forever change Hawaii. The three were aviator Charles Lindbergh, Pan American World Airways President Juan Trippe and engineer Andre Priester.

 Beachboy-turned-tire man Brodie marks 97th birthday 

By Bob Sigall One of Hawaii's greatest entrepreneurs turned 97 this week. Born Alexander Brodie in Kekaha, Kauai, in 1914, Lex and his family moved to Honolulu when he was 11.

 Polynesian Cultural Center has its roots in the hukilau 

By Bob Sigall The Polynesian Cultural Center opened 48 years ago this week on Oct. 12, 1963, but its roots go even deeper, to the hukilau in Laie, and a singing group in Waikiki called the Polynesian Panorama.

 Halekulani had connection to fictional Charlie Chan 

By Bob Sigall The Halekulani opened 94 years ago this week in Waikiki on the site of the former Hau Tree Hotel. Haleiwa Hotel proprietors Juliet and Clifford Kimball purchased the hotel and its five acres of prime oceanfront property in 1917 and renamed it the Halekulani Hotel.

 The TV show that transformed Hawaii 

By Bob Sigall When "Hawaii Five-0" went on the air 43 years ago this week, on Sept. 26, 1968, locals were concerned that a crime show might portray Hawaii negatively. Somehow, however, the 300 million people who watched the show in 80 countries did not see Hawaii as crime-ridden.

 King’s fortunes, success rose like its famous sweet bread 

By Bob Sigall There are hundreds of mainland companies that have opened in Hawaii and found locals receptive to their products and services. The number of local companies that have expanded beyond Hawaii is not as large. This is one of those stories.

 9-hole Ala Wai Golf Course opened 80 years last week 

By Bob Sigall The state’s busiest golf course, and one of the most heavily played in the world, the Ala Wai Golf Course had the most humble of beginnings. While most golf courses are planned from scratch, the Ala Wai began as a single hole in 1923. And that hole was a simple salmon can placed in the ground at the Territorial Fairgrounds.

 Aloha Stadium built to replace ‘Termite Palace’ for just $37M 

By Bob Sigall It took almost 20 years for the idea of a large stadium to replace Honolulu Stadium to come to fruition. Mayor Neal S. Blaisdell first proposed it in 1958. The Fire Department said the old “Termite Palace” was a firetrap. Sporting and other events had been held at the old Honolulu Stadium on King Street since it opened in 1926, but it was thought that a growing city needed a bigger stadium.

 'Asbestos' was a good word when Hawaii Theatre opened 

By Bob Sigall The curtain of the Hawaii Theatre today has a large picture of Diamond Head, and below it in large letters is the word "HAWAII.

 Naval crew sailed their plane for portion of historic flight 

By Bob Sigall Naval Commander John Rodgers was the first to attempt a nonstop flight from California to Hawaii 86 years ago this week.

 Fateful voyage made Bishop a household name in Hawaii 

Did a difficult sea voyage give Hawaii its first bank and largest private estate? During the 1840s and 1850s, Honolulu was a major port for supplies to whalers. Without a bank in town, traders turned to general merchandise stores, but they were not really adequate.

 Ala Moana Center found home amid 50 acres of swampland 

By Bob Sigall Saturday marks the 52nd anniversary of Ala Moana Center's grand opening. It was the beginning of a revolution in Honolulu's shopping scene.

 Isle newscaster recalls day Earth crashed 

In the early 1950s, KGMB-TV's "Pan American World News" was the only TV newscast in Hawaii. Wayne Collins was the first news anchor.