My dad arrived in Honolulu on the liner Mariposa on May 1, 1939, one of 84 passengers who landed in the islands that day and stayed. He was 25, had a job waiting for him as a salesman for the local office of San Francisco-based Dorhmann Hotel Supply Company, and looked like a movie star. Also on board was his new “Squadron Green” Dodge Club Coupe he brought with him from Long Beach, California, two surfboards, and a wooden trunk made by his father which carried his clothes.
I found this picture among his papers 71 years later, after his death at age 96. Just click on the photo to view a larger version.
This morning I found a story in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on Saturday, April 29, 1939, which reported the scheduled arrival of the Mariposa on the following Monday.
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Ian, I’m glad I had the chance to meet your Dad and Mom at the old Kahala house back in the early 90s. He was a handsome guy.
Too bad you didn’t end up with that Dodge coupe. It would probably be worth about 20 grand today.
Thanks for the history feature.
At some point, the papers used to print complete passenger lists of people on board arriving ships. In a search of newspapers.com, I found our family listed for the Matsonia – returning to commercial service following WW II – for the arrival of October 3, 1946. I’m not sure what service this provided for newspaper readers besides just “record keeping” as Pacific Business News now does with its multiple lists. Maybe they just had to fill space around the ads.
Dapper Don indeed! These days in the age of “athleisure” clothing and indifference to style, your dad would have made the pages of thesartorialist.com !
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for this special peek into the Lind family past. Wonderful photo of your dad aboard the Maiposa, and a fond look back at the days of the arrival of Liners to Hawaii shores.