[ 'GENE' THOMPSON / 1926-2003 ]
Maui man worked to
beautify the islandHe is remembered for his
ability to organize people
KIHEI, Maui >> After storms ravaged some beaches in South Maui in the early 1980s, Carlos Eugene Thompson set about building low-lying fences to halt wind erosion of the remaining dunes.
"The county wouldn't do anything," recalled Buck Joiner, a Kihei resident. "He took action and the results were fantastic."
"Gene" Thompson, who later became president of the Kihei Community Association and helped to revive the Maui Outdoor Circle, died of prostate cancer Sunday at his Kihei home. He was 77.
Thompson, whose Portuguese parents moved from Hawaii to Santa Clara, Calif., where he was born and raised, enjoyed working with plants.
"He grew up helping his parents in the apricot orchards," said a close friend, Susan Bradford. "That's where his love of plants and trees began."
Thompson, a retiree who once restored homes for a living, organized numerous planting projects at Kihei beaches, including Kamaole I and II, where he helped to install an irrigation system to grow morning glory and native naupaka to lessen sand erosion.
Sand fences, similar to the ones he developed at Kamaole, have been used to control sand erosion at the federal wildlife refuge at Kealia Pond.
He led volunteers in planting trees for the Maui Outdoor Circle and picking up trash for the Community Work Day.
"He knew how to organize people and get them involved and care about them, and he wasn't afraid to do it himself," said Community Work Day coordinator Jan Dapitan.
Thompson also helped form a council of community organizations on the Valley Isle that sometimes combined to lobby jointly on issues.
Bradford said that after his partner, Jack Esker, nearly died in a swimming accident, Thompson successfully lobbied to establish lifeguard stations at Kamaole beaches.
"When there was a problem, he addressed it," she said.
Thompson is survived by Esker, brother James and sister Joyce Raineri. Services are tentatively scheduled to be held in late January at Kamaole II.
Contributions on his behalf may be sent to the Maui Coastal Land Trust, P.O. Box 965, Wailuku, HI 96793; and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, 1 Cameron Way, Kahului, HI 96732.