My dad, John Lind, spent time after his retirement in 1998 pecking away at an well-used typewriter to record some of the experiences of his long life. This little episode describes his first meeting with Henry Kaiser in 1955.

The opening of the Kalia Towers by Hilton Hotels occurred the later part of May 2001. There was no major splash in the newspapers about it but the construction of the building sort of fascinated me as do a lot of major buildings in the islands. This one in particular because it pretty well completes that lands making up the present Hawaiian Village hotel properties.

I decided to look at the grounds on Wednesday, May 30. The entry way is impressive with many landscape improvements consisting of waterfalls, plantings of many trees, and beautiful lawns.

I parked my car in the Ala Wai Harbor lot and walked up the roadway between the Ilikai Hotel and the old Waikikian Hotel site and into the Hawaiian Village area. It was a short walk avoiding a longer trek to the corner of Kalia Road and Ala Moana.

The large automatic doors leading in the coffee shop caught my eye as I had gotten up before breakfast and was anxious for a cup of coffee. Seating was available so I sat down and was pleasantly surprised to find a nice placemat at the table introducing guests to the new Niumalu Dining Room, including a little squib stating that the room is on the exact spot of the old Niumalu Hotel, once owned by Jerry Zuker.

Mr. Zuker was formerly a Hotel Street bar operator who patronized the Dohrmann Hotel Supply Company, the employer who had sent me to Honolulu in May of 1939.

Zuker had purchased the old Niumalu Hotel property in late 1940s and was making plans for its improvement. As I sat their looking over the placemat I could not help remembering one of the most historical moments of my career in the hotel and restaurant supply business.

Dohrmann moved into a new building on 1122 Ala Moana in 1955 following a move from the McCandless Building at 925 Bethel Street. World War Two was over and a new man in town, Henry Kaiser, phoned one afternoon about 4 p.m. stating that he wanted to have a representative meet with his people concerning some projects.

I asked if 9 a.m. the next morning would be suitable and was immediately told that the meeting was underway and he wanted somebody NOW!

I dropped everything and went to the old Niumalu Hotel where I found Mr. Kaiser and his right hand man, Mr. Hancock, seated at a large table with rolls of plans in front of them. I learned that Mr. Kaiser had recently purchased the property and was in the throes of a big project.

This was the Henry Kaiser that the world had heard so much about during the war with his ingenuity in getting things done, especially building ships and launching one a day when they were urgently needed. I was amazed that he was such a down to earth person.

Our company’s background was known to Mr. Kaiser and their full efforts to assist him was made known, as our San Francisco office had the talent that would be required for such a project.

The Niumalu property consisted of everything from the entry to Ft. DeRussy on Kalia Road to the water’s edge. The whole area was overgrown with weeds, trees, and rubbish. Mr. Kaiser’s plans called for several major buildings and this meeting was to get started on the development of a major kitchen as well as a smaller coffee shop.

For the next several years the company’s resources were used for this development and many nice projects were finalized, including the transformation of the old Niumalu into Henry Kaiser’s Hawaiian Village.

He was indeed a man of action and one could not help but admire him for his sincerity and no nonsense manner. His staff that soon developed after that first meeting operated in the same manner and it was a real pleasure to have had the opportunity to work with them.

One one occasion, equipment for one of his kitchens was being assembled in our new Ala Moana building. He called the afternoon prior to the day of delivery to be certain everything was on schedule. He had been assured al was ready to go and would be out to the job site in the morning.

At 9 a.m. the next day, Mr. Kaiser’s Lincoln Continental drove up to the front door of the store and in came Mr. Kaiser to inspect the progress of his shipment. That’s the way he handled just about everything we did for him. He was really a man of action.

Before Henry Kaiser came to Hawaii there were no high rise buildings, as photos looking into Waikiki from the ocean confirm. The Royal Hawaiian and the Moana Hotel were the only large buildings visible. Following the development of the Hawaiian Village Hotel, the Hawaii Kai project was started. I have pictures taken in the early stages of that development. It was amazing how his organization could progress like magic. Dredges painted yellow were way up in the valley clearing channels for waterways that have made Hawaii Kai so popular.

Everyone who worked with or for Kaiser had the greatest respect for him. His vision was the greatest and Hawaii progressed tremendously while he was in action.