Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 12, 1 December 1991 — "Whip ʻem Kealoha!" [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

"Whip ʻem Kealoha!"

By Louis Hao Trustee Moloka'i and Lana'i

Aloha mai. As a youth growing up in Hilo, I ean recall the s!ogan "whip 'em Kealoha." It was really a Hawaiian slogan in support of the man of the time, James "Kimo" Kealoha. He was a model for me then, and

still is to this day. He was a hero for us Hawaiians and I dedicate this eolumn to his memory. James "Kimo" Kealoha, former Heutenant governor of the state of Hawai'i, was born in Pahoa, Puna, on the island of Hawai'i on April 29, 1908 of Hawaiian-Chinese parentage. He received his elementary education in the public schoo!s of Pahoa, Kurtistown and Hilo, and was graduated from Hilo High School in 1926. At school he distinguished himself in the literary field and in sports, excelling particularly as a longdistance runner in track and as a basketball player. However, his was not altogether the easy life of a school boy, for Kimo had to work at various odd jobs before and after school in order to be able to obtain an education. Kimo first entered politics in 1934 at age 26. He ran for and was elected to the House of Representatives of the Territorial Legislature on the Democratic ticket from Hawai'i County. He was re-elected to the house in 1936. In 1938, because of internal dissension and squabbling in the Democratic Party, he joined the Republican Party. He ran for the Srnate in the elections of that year and was again elected with the highest votes. He, therefore, had the honor of

presiding as president pro-tem of the Senate. Then 30 years old, he was the youngest senator to sit in that body since its organization. In 1940, Kealoha dropped out of territorial politics and sought election to the Hawai'i County Board of Supervisors. He was successful and served on the board for six years, winning reelection in 1942 and 1944. In 1948, he ran for the county chairmanship, was elected, and held that office from January 1949, to Aug. 19, 1959, when he resigned to take over his new office as lieutenant governor of the new state of Hawai'i. He had been the youngest chairman elected in the history of the county of Hawai'i. In 1951, he received a special invitation to attend the first Japanese-American Mayors' Conference as a guest of the Tokyo metropolitan government. He continued on to Korea to personally visit the war fronts were our island boys were fighting in the mountainous hills of Korea, beyond Heartbreak Ridge, north of Seoul. In May 1952, Kealoha attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors' convention held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City and was singularly honored, being asked to preside at the opening of the convention, whieh was attended by the mayors from the 48 states and 27 foreign countries. In 1955, James Kealoha was named one of five delegates of the U.S. Conference of Mayors to the World Conference of Mayors held at Rome, Italy, in October that year, at whieh time he was the only one granted an audience with Pope Pius X. On Sept. 11, 1958, Kealoha participated in a panel discussion of the U.S. Civil Defense Council annual conference held in New York City. He was discussion leader on supply and procurement. It was also then that Kealoha was honored by being unanimously selected as the outstanding

personality for 1957-1958 of Region VII, consisting of nine western states and Hawai'i. As Hawaii's lieutenant governor, Kealoha officially represented his state in 1959 at the Georgia state fair "Salute to Hawai'i" in Atlanta, and also Washington state's "Daffodil Salute to Hawai'i" in early 1960 at Tacoma. In August 1960, Kealoha headed a delegation of four prominent citizens of Chinese ancestry on a two-week tour of the Far East as guests of the U.S. Army Pacific to lay the groundwork for a ChineseAmerican brotherhood program, as part of President Eisenhower's person-to-person program. James Kimo Kealoha eventually retired to country life, spending his golden years as the largest papaya farmer in Kapoho on the island of Hawai'i. 01d-timers in Hilo still remember Kimo for his political prowess, his personality, and especially his winning smile. To me, James Kealoha exceeded the expections of a Hawaiian at that time, and should be remembered today as a role model for all of us to emulate. He is the epitome of a true Hawaiian politician.

One last hurrah! "Whip 'em Kealoha.'

James Kealoha