Hawaii’s World
THANKS to its still-growing Hall of Honor, McKinley High School students have ever-present reminders of more tradition behind them than any other Hawaii public high school. McKinley High’s
Hall of HonorTheirs is the oldest. Its beginning was in a Fort Street basement in 1865. Until the early 20th century, it was Hawaii's only public high school. Its list of VIP graduates is historic.
At one time, McKinley grads made Hawaii the only state with a sitting governor and two sitting U.S. senators all from the same high school -- Sen. Hiram L. Fong, Class of 1924, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye '42, and Gov. George Ariyoshi '44.
They are only three of 138 famous grads whose pictures now line the entry hall of the McKinley administration building.
Those who know Hawaii's past will see many familiar faces. Students, I hope, may be inspired to emulate their distinguished predecessors of all races, male and female.
The Hall of Honor honorees include successes in arts and entertainment, 10 selections; business executives and entrepreneurs, 23; humanitarian efforts, 3; education, 22; journalism, 3; government and public service, 28; law and justice, 8; medicine and science, 13; military, 5 including a Congressional Medal of Honor winner; athletics, 10; and religion, 6. Classes date back to 1898, the graduation year of one of Honolulu's best-remembered mayors, Fred Wright.
To refer to them all as graduates is not quite right. Duke Kahanamoku left school after the 10th grade to pursue his fabulous swimming career. But McKinley was his last school of record, so he is bragged about, too.
The list grows with new inductions each November. A committee screens names of graduates out of McKinley at least 24 years. It weighs them for contributions of a humanitarian, professional, civic or patriotic nature. Five choices have been made to join the Hall of Honor this year, but not yet announced.
McKinley is lucky to have a volunteer school historian who loves the school. She produced a history of the first 100 years, 1865-1965, and organized the Hall of Honor in 1986 with an initial induction group of 38. Photos had to be taken down for a while due to remodeling of the administration building, but went back up last year. Gaile Sykes is a special education teacher. I'd nominate her for the Hall of Honor, but she is not a McKinley grad.
PRESENT pictures number 138 but a 139th has been authorized. Trouble is no suitable photo has been located of Ford Konno, champion Olympic swimmer, Class of 1951. A phone call about one to the McKinley administration office -- 594-0400 -- could stir great joy.
The hall's lead portrait is of President William McKinley. The school was renamed for him in 1907 when ground was broken for the building site that is now the Lilekona annex to the Honolulu Academy of Arts.
President McKinley looms large in Hawaii history. He presided over the conduct of the Spanish-American War, which illuminated Hawaii's strategic importance in the Pacific, and the 1898 annexation of Hawaii as a U.S. territory.
The McKinley Foundation will hold a fund-raising dinner tribute to Daniel Inouye, one of the most powerful members of the U.S. Senate, on Saturday night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
A.A. Smyser is the contributing editor
and former editor of the the Star-Bulletin
His column runs Tuesday and Thursday.