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Kane S. Fernandez, king of the carnival midway in Hawaii, died yesterday at Queen's Medical Center following a heart attack. Fernandez, Hawaii’s
carnival king,
dies at 64
OBITUARIES
By Helen Altonn and Harold Morse
Star-BulletinHe had just attended a meeting at Star of the Sea School when he was stricken.
Friends and associates were shocked by the sudden death of the 64-year-old Fernandez, described by all as a big man with a big heart.
He inherited the showman's mantle from his late father, E.K. Fernandez, who introduced movies, carnivals, circuses and Wild West shows to Hawaii, and propelled the family business into a multimillion-dollar industry.
Kane Fernandez "was bigger than life," said longtime friend Gene Axelrod, chairman of the Knight Corp., which founded Honolulu Club and other developments.
He was fun, humorous and "a very nice guy," he said. "He was the kind of guy you could always count on."
Axelrod also described his friend as "truly the best story-teller. There were times I had to tell him to stop making me laugh because it was hurting. He was the best, just a wonderful, wonderful person. He just had a big heart for everybody, which is kind of sad that that's what stopped him."
"He was a kind man, big heart," agreed Porpilio "Pop" Tamala, who has been with E.K. Fernandez Shows for more than 50 years.
A supervisor in the food department, Tamala's first job was picking up elephant dung in the circus in Hilo. He moved to Oahu but remained with the company, working with tents and lights and now with food.
Tamala saw Fernandez on Monday and "he looked good." Yesterday, he said, "we heard he was in the hospital. We were going to the office to say a prayer for him. When we walked by, they said he passed away."
Kane Fernandez became president and chief executive officer of E.K. Fernandez Shows in 1970, following his father's death.
He became chairman of Fernandez Fun Factory in 1976 and later added the title of president and chief executive officer of Fernandez Entertainment as the business became a multimillion-dollar dynasty.
A 1954 graduate of Punahou School, he received a degree in business administration from the University of Hawaii in 1958. He served four years as a Navy officer before joining the family business as vice president in 1962.
The Los Angeles-born Fernandez was committed to education and youth, which were served by the carnivals he staged statewide and by his contributions to nonprofit organizations.
He had a special interest in the Punahou Carnival, which raises money for financial aid for students, said Jim Scott, the school's president.
"He was a partner of the Punahou Carnival for 30 or 40 years," helping to plan it and running rides and games, Scott said.
He also set up an endowed financial aid fund in his father's name for needy Punahou students and had been adding to it over the years.
On the first day of the carnival, Fernandez would show up with many free-ride tickets, asking him to make sure they went to kids who might not afford the rides, Scott said.
Several weeks ago, Scott had lunch with Fernandez, who was looking forward to turning the business over to his children. "He just wanted to slow down."
Axelrod said he went on many trips with Fernandez, who loved fishing and taught him how to catch salmon. He also took up golf recently after kidding him about playing it, Axelrod said. "I had just gotten his application for the Waialae Country Club on Monday."
Donna Smith, vice president of Fernandez Entertainment, said, "There will be a transition to a third generation," with two of Fernandez's children involved in the business for years.
His son, Scott (Kane S. Jr.), is vice president and chief operating officer of E.K. Fernandez Shows, and his daughter, Kalei Shelley Fernandez-Katz, is president of Merchandise International, a sister company that buys all the merchandise for the carnivals and Fun Factory.
Kane Fernandez was the first to win the O'o Award for Outstanding Hawaiian Businessman, presented by the Hawaiian Business and Professional Association upon its establishment in 1976.
Additionally, he was involved with a long list of civic activities. Most recently, he served on boards of the Boys and Girls Club and the Hawaii Theatre Center. Earlier, he held directorships with the Bishop Museum, Variety School and University of Hawaii Foundation.
In addition to Scott and Shelley, Fernandez is survived by wife Linda, daughter Kanekapolei Sydney Fasi, sister Kulani Fernandez and two grandchildren.
Funeral services are pending.