I was one of thousands of school keiki who took cans with “Save The Falls of Clyde” labels everywhere, asking for coins. We asked primarily for nickels — but we never turned down pennies — and receiving dimes was a real thrill! Along with corporate support, we raised enough money to bring the historic four-masted ship “home.” We kids were promised plans to fully restore the ship and told that future generations would be able to learn part of Hawaii’s maritime history from her — thanks to our combined efforts (and a gazillion nickels).

A beautiful museum was built to celebrate Hawaii’s maritime history and importance, right at Honolulu Harbor, next to the ship.

But bit by bit, the promises made to Hawaii’s kids were broken. The mentality of planned obsolescence (“ignore it, then get rid of it”) took hold. The World War I memorial in Waikiki (the Natatorium) is a sad, glaring example. Most folks using the beach next to it don’t realize it’s a WWI memorial and that people from Hawaii lost their lives or somehow contributed to that war effort — from Hawaii, the most isolated geographical place on Earth. Don’t our veterans still deserve the respect given when the Natatorium was built? (Duke Kahanamoku swam in that pool — and no, the Memorial is not merely the facade.)

The Natatorium, Maritime Museum and Falls of Clyde were tourist attractions — until state, city and corporate funding sources lost interest. Why not reinvest in these with a real long-range plan for the future, especially since tourists are becoming disenchanted with mainland-style hotels, mainland-style Hawaii and steep costs?

We should be encouraging visitors to visit and to learn about our pre-contact and post-contact history, and our significance here in this remote part of the Pacific.

We have significant sites right on a major bus line (Honolulu Harbor, Waikiki) that could be sources of education, pride — and revenue. They are crumbling under the weight of decades of political and institutional indifference.

We need to use these historic sites to educate Hawaii keiki, too. Kamaaina now in the 21st century had family members generations ago working or playing at the harbor, in canoes, on ships or in WWI (or even helping to build the Natatorium). These sites are all part of our history!

Why don’t Bishop Museum, the state Harbors Division, Historic Hawaii Foundation, University of Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific University and corporate friends all use their marine biology and oceanographic resources, business acumen, and historic research and preservation programs to revitalize these sites into sources of pride and education as they once were? These historic sites would provide jobs, education — and revenue, with proper planning.

Perhaps under the auspices of the National Park Service, stamps for National Parks/Historic Sites “Passport Books” could be initiated for the Falls of Clyde and the Natatorium (Pearl Harbor and Volcanoes National Park are examples of this “National Parks Passport” stamp program).

Or, perhaps a “Hawaii Historic Sites” stamp program can be created?

But please: Do not ever again ask Hawaii’s keiki to enthusiastically undertake weeks of fundraising if promises to them aren’t going to be honored by the state, Bishop Museum or any other entities.

Every nickel dropped into those cans meant that we Hawaii school keiki were bringing our historic ship closer to Honolulu — and that working together (laulima) actually meant something.

Instead, what resulted was a bunch of promises at the highest levels turning into rusted indifference toward us — (now kupuna) and future generations of keiki. Auwe!

Merrie Carol Grain-Norris is a professional artist and former administrator of a regional Pacific arts/culture organization.