A visit to the C.R. Newton durable medical equipment shop on Beretania Street yields few surprises. The employees are unfailingly friendly, the stock is always up to date (computerized leg, anyone?) and owner George Newton — well, he figures he’s much the same as always.
A spry 92, Newton still works five, sometimes six days a week at the business his twin, Charles, founded more than 70 years ago.
"My health has been good," Newton says with a shrug. "We have a wonderful staff, and most of all, I just like to be around to help our customers."
Newton was born and raised on Maui. After attending Wailuku Intermediate School, he and Charles took an entrance exam for Kamehameha Schools. George was accepted; Charles was not.
Family friend Eldon Morrell encouraged Charles to attend community college to get training as a machinist. Charles agreed and wound up doing so well that Morrell put him in touch with a man in Portland, Ore., who offered him an opportunity to put his skills to use making prosthetic limbs.
Charles went to Oregon for training and upon his return opened shop near the Waikiki Lau Yee Chai.
Meanwhile, George completed his education at Kamehameha and found work as a machinist. He was working at Fort Shafter when the bombs fell on Dec. 7, 1941.
The war meant brisk business for the company as wounded veterans sought the necessary orthotics and prosthetics to help them resume their lives back home.
In 1945 Charles recruited his twin brother to help.
In 1953 Charles left Honolulu for Portland, his wife’s hometown, to take a job at a local orthopedics company. Just like that, George found himself sole proprietor.
Newton has worked diligently to keep his clients happy, attending training programs on the mainland, staying current with advances in the field and offering workshops around the state and throughout the Pacific. And while his son David now serves as president of the company, Newton still remains an everyday presence.
"He has a great work ethic, and he’ll always go out of his way to make sure his clients get what they need," says administrator Leslie Gage. "His motto for us is ‘No givee up,’ and that’s an attitude that starts with him and filters down to the entire staff."
So today, just like thousands of yesterdays, Newton will tuck his neatly pressed shirt into his trousers, grab the lunch his wife, Peggy, has prepared and head to the office.
"I enjoy seeing customers who have been with us for decades," he says. "I see children we helped when they were at Shriners Hospital, and now they’re adults. I’m very satisfied to be where I am."
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Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.
