Ukulele maker Frederick Ku Kamaka Sr. dies at 98

Frederick Ku Kamaka Sr., president of Kamaka Hawaii Inc., the oldest ukulele manufacturing company in Hawaii, died July 23. He was 98.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Kamaka began helping his father, Samuel Kai‘ali‘ili‘i Kamaka Sr., founder of what was originally the Kamaka Ukulele and Guitar Works, and his older brother, Samuel Kai‘ali‘ili‘i Kamaka Jr., when he was still in elementary school. The company was renamed Kamaka and Sons Enterprises, but when the brothers were drafted for military service they stepped away from the business.

Frederick Kamaka made the Army his career. He served in World War II and in the Korean War, where he earned the Silver Star and was recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross at the Second Battle of Pork Chop Hill. He also served in Vietnam, and retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1971 and joined the family company, incorporated in 1968 as Kamaka Hawaii Inc., as general manager.

Kamaka served as business manager in the front office through 1995 and held the title of vice president and director. As years passed, his son, Frederick Ku Kamaka Jr., and his nephews, Casey and Chris Kamaka, grew into major roles in the company.

Frederick Kamaka Jr. remembered his father as a craftsman who was open to new ideas.

“He had very precise ways of doing things. Sometimes I would ask him, ‘Why do we do things this way?’ and he would say, ‘I’m not quite sure why we do it this way.’ I’d say, ‘Can we try this?’ and he’d say, ‘Yeah, try it.’ Sometimes we’d find out why we did it (the traditional) way, but he was always open to the idea that we could try different ways,” he said.

Kamaka’s son and nephews assumed day-to-day responsibility for company operations in the 1990s, but he remained actively involved in the business. He enjoyed conducting daily tours of the South Street factory in Kakaako, when he would share childhood memories of working with his father and older brother, and talk about the history of the iconic island instrument. He continued to lead the daily tours until the beginning of the pandemic.

Bryan Tolentino, one of the many highly regarded musicians who play Kamaka instruments, remembered “Uncle Fred” as “full of aloha.”

“He could be stern but always giving! He gave so much giving the Kamaka tours!” Tolentino reminisced via email Thursday.

Chris Kamaka remembered his uncle also sharing his aloha within the company, making sure everyone was well fed.

“I was working part time (in the early 1970s), when I was still in high school up at Saint Louis, and the thing that I really enjoyed was when he used to cook us lunch, ‘goobly-goop,’ hamburger and onion, like a beef stew, hamburger stew.”

Kamaka Hawaii Inc. celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016.

In February 2022, Frederick Kamaka Sr. and his older brother, Samuel Kamaka Jr., received the Congressional Gold Medal for their service in World War II.

Frederick Kamaka Sr. became president of the company following his brother’s death in March of that year.

“My dad and his brother were so close. They loved each other so much,” Frederick Kamaka Jr. said. “His brother made the sacrifice (of his career plans) to keep the family business going while my dad was out fighting (in the military). So my father had his military career, but when it ended he would have just been another retired soldier. Sam opened the business and allowed him to come in and join him in the business and gave him an entire second life.

“He lived it, so he lived a great, full life.”

Frederick Ku Kamaka Sr. is survived by his children, Dr. Martina Kamaka, Heidi Kamana and Frederick Ku Kamaka Jr., 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Funeral plans are pending.